Last night Fox aired a commercial-free episode of Family Guy that sees Stewie Griffin, the show's most iconic character, engage in a therapy session with a shrink played by Ian McKellen. The episode aimed to debunk rampant mysteries surrounding the youngest Griffin family member, tackling his inexplicable British accent, as well as his sexuality.
The episode's scribe and series executive producer Gary Janetti reveals how "Stewie's awareness of his sexuality is this uncertain thing, and that needs to stay as it is. His uncertainty gives him a vulnerability, which is something we need to maintain for the series. Whether he is [gay] or not, that isn't going to be answered when he's a one-year-old. But if you read between the lines, it's not that difficult to decipher. He's not even sure ‘heterosexual' is a real word!"
Janetti also admits that "we also talked to [creator Seth MacFarlane] whose opinion was to not lean into [Stewie's sexuality] too much. He's still a baby. He doesn't know yet, and sexuality is a very fluid matter. It's better to keep that as something that's not determined yet."
Stewie's peculiar British accent was also discussed during last night's therapy session, with Janetti noting how the series never intended to address his vocal inflections in any meaningful manner. Instead, it opened up a chance for Seth MacFarlane to showcase the variety of character voices he helms, with Sir Ian McKellen not being able to decipher a distinct difference between each different intonation.
"I liked the idea of that being the reveal," Janetti admits. "It felt truthful that somebody who didn't feel like he fit in would create an artificial personality. To an extent, that's what he's done. And then to have Ian's character—the one person he's sharing this big secret with—not even hear the difference was another fun opportunity. It felt like a good way to show Stewie's insecurities in a way that felt truthful to the history of the series."