It's that time of year when television shows mail Emmy voters DVDs to entice them into voting for their series. Although we live in a digital age now, and Emmy voters are hit with a mountain of DVDs that will probably sit around their house while they stream what they actually want to watch, the process is customary. The hit comedy cartoon series Family Guy usually finds a hilarious way to make Emmy voters open their DVD package, and this year is no different.
According to Deadline, the Family Guy mailer this year features a picture of Peter Griffin on the cover. “We predicted Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weisntein. Open DVD to see who’s next,” is the title above a slick-faced Griffin. When voters open the DVD, a mirror is inside. Now that's a clever move. Both Weisntein and Spacey were taken down by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, which are comprised of strong and passionate women who were sexually abused by Hollywood honchos who used their power to destroy lives and gain sexual pleasure. While Weisntein targeted a long list of women, Spacey was ridiculed for choosing the worst possible excuse and time to come out of the closet after it was exposed that he sexually abused a young boy.
In 2005, Family Guy aired an episode where Stewie runs through a mall screaming, “Help! I’ve escaped from Kevin Spacey’s basement!” While the joke was mostly only understood by people in the know within Hollywood, a clip of the scene went viral after Spacey was revealed to be a sexual predator. Speaking with EW, Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane opened up about the Spacey joke. “I don’t remember who pitched the joke,” he stated. “I remember when it was pitched… that was a rumor I had actually not heard and other people in the writers’ room had. And it had to be sort of explained to me: ‘Oh, there’s this rumor that’s going on.'”
As far as Weinstein goes, MacFarlane alluded to the rapist's actions while announcing the Best Supporting Actress nominees with Emma Stone at the 2013 Oscars. “Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein,” he joked after reading the nominations.