Parent Television Council to the Academy: Don't Hire Seth MacFarlane to Host the Oscars Again or Else!

Activist group is organizing an effort to keep the Family Guy guru from emceeing the ceremony ever again

By Josh Grossberg Mar 01, 2013 10:10 PMTags
2013 Oscars Show, Seth MacFarlaneKevin Winter/Getty Images

It's safe to say Seth MacFarlane wasn't exactly the family-friendly choice to host the Oscars.

In the wake of his controversial performance, the Parents Television Council (PTC), has launched a petition aiming to shut down any chance of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences hiring the Family Guy mastermind for a second go-round.

"Seth MacFarlane has built a career on programs that wallow in misogyny and anti-Semitism; joke about violence against women, rape, pedophilia, incest and bestiality; and even ridiculing children with disabilities," read family watchdog group's petition. "Knowing this, the Academy still chose to invite MacFarlane to host the 2013 Academy Awards, where he proceeded to offend and outrage millions of viewers with racist, misogynistic, anti-Semitic jokes, and attempts to sexualize a nine-year-old honoree."

That last reference was in regards to the funnyman's much-criticized quip about 9-year-old Oscar nominee Quevenhané Wallis during Sunday's ceremony when he said, "To give you an idea of how young she is, it'll be 16 years before she's too young for Clooney."

The PTC's concluded its appeal by demanding the folks behind Hollywood's Biggest Night "formally announce that they will not be inviting Seth MacFarlane to host any future Oscar awards."

The Parents Television Council isn't the only one to take issue with MacFarlane's performance. A number of Jewish groups protested remarks the comedian made regarding Jews in Hollywood through the guise of his big-screen alter-ego, Ted.

And just the other day, two female California lawmakers and actress Jane Fonda separately criticized him for a monologue and the "We Saw Your Boobs" musical number they found degrading and insulting to women.

The Academy has yet to comment on the petition, though it did release a statement on Tuesday standing up for MacFarlane, noting the Oscars are "about creative freedom."

"We think the show's producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and host Seth MacFarlane did a great job and we hope our worldwide audience found the show entertaining," said the organization.