What are the general sentiments about Seth MacFarlane at this point? I’ve been going back and forth about him for years. Some days, I think he’s a total douchebag who has a history of creating characters and shows that do and say some dumb and problematic things. On other days, I think… well, he’s growing as a writer/actor/director and he seems to be pretty consistently liberal/progressive. I don’t know. What I do know is that Seth’s most lucrative production deals are with Fox and News Corp/Fox’s entertainment division. It’s widely believed that Rupert Murdoch and the Murdoch family don’t really care about the entertainment side of their business, they only care about their newspapers and Fox News and their global news brand. Which makes it difficult for liberal/progressive artists to work for Fox and still criticize the other side of their corporate employers.
So, Seth is trying. Even though Fox pays him, he f–king despises what happens at Fox News and how Fox News is just the propaganda wing of the Trump Party. CNN’s Brian Stelter tweeted this as he was watching Fox News a few nights ago:
Isn't this sad? Tonight @TuckerCarlson told his viewers not to believe ANYTHING they learn from his rivals: "If you're looking to understand what's actually happening in this country, always assume the opposite of whatever they're telling you on the big news stations."
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 15, 2018
This was Seth’s reaction:
In other words, don’t think critically, don’t consult multiple news sources, and in general, don’t use your brain. Just blindly obey Fox News. This is fringe shit, and it’s business like this that makes me embarrassed to work for this company.
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) June 16, 2018
I mean… Seth is right, it IS embarrassing. But is Tucker Carlson’s “don’t listen to anyone but us” any more or less embarrassing than Fox News daily programming and all of the awful lies and propaganda they push on a minute-by-minute basis? My question for Seth is why now, why this?? And if you feel that strongly about it, get a production deal with another company! That’s the thing though – Seth and Fox Entertainment have a good deal with each other, and the Murdochs rarely interfere on the entertainment side of things. I doubt Seth’s tweet even bothers them. They have bigger fish to fry.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
