Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane pens theory on why Hollywood hates Trump: 'We live and work among his kind'

MacFarlane says the President-elect's tactics are employed by the 'shiftiest' of agents, lawyers, and publicists 

Maya Oppenheim
Sunday 04 December 2016 13:00 EST
Comments
MacFarlane went on to say Hollywood’s contempt for Mr Trump had nothing to do with a lack of patriotism
MacFarlane went on to say Hollywood’s contempt for Mr Trump had nothing to do with a lack of patriotism (Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Apart from a handful of retired boxers and shock jock talk show hosts, famous people tend not to align themselves with Donald Trump. Nowhere is this clearer than in the hills of Hollywood where it is wildly unpopular to hold the President-elect in high esteem.

For this very reason, Seth MacFarlane has attempted to uncover and understand why Mr Trump is such a universally hated figure in Hollywood. Interestingly, the Family Guy creator suggested the acting world’s disdain for him was rooted in their own experiences with similarly “shifty” industry types.

MacFarlane argued the billionaire symbolised the dark side of fame to those who had achieved success and Hollywood stars were continually coming across figures similar to Mr Trump in film.

“Wanna know why Hollywood folks hate Trump?” he wrote in a letter posted on his Twitter account. “We live and work amongst his kind every day out there”.

“His tactics are those employed by the shiftiest of agents, lawyers, and publicists. We’ve learned to recognise the blustery showmanship of a lying con man because we encounter it every day in our business. We’ve learned to smell it, because it’s bitten so many of us in the ass”.

MacFarlane went on to say Hollywood’s contempt for Mr Trump had nothing to do with a lack of patriotism.

“Most of us love America a hell of a lot, and we don’t want America to be conned the way many of us have ourselves,” he wrote. “Trump is not of the People. Trump is of Hollywood. And that is the problem.”

Family Guy has spoken out against Mr Trump in the past. In a live-action bit that aired in a new episode in October, Peter Griffin is heard as if he is sat on the bus and is able to hear the leaked sexually aggressive “p*ssy-grabbing” remarks Mr Trump made in 2005.

“I move on her, and I failed. I admit it,” Mr Trump can be heard confessing to Peter. “Well, as long as you didn’t try to f*ck her and she was single,” Griffin chips in. “I did try and f*ck her. She was married,” Mr Trump’s actual voice responds.

For anyone who somehow missed the leaked tape, at the beginning of October a tape from 2005 surfaced in which Mr Trump could be heard boasting about groping and making unwanted advances on women to Billy Bush. Mr Trump initially dismissed his lewd remarks as “locker room” talk but then apologised for his comments in a 90-second apology.

A representative for Mr Trump did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in