Seth MacFarlane Ridiculed for Offering Tone-Deaf Support to First Responders During Tragic L.A. Fires

With wildfires raging throughout the Los Angeles area, destroying countless homes and devastating lives, comedy celebrities are stepping forward. Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Guest have pledged a million dollars to help people affected by the fires. Hacks star Jean Smart is imploring networks and awards shows to press pause this year and instead donate their revenues to disaster relief. (With no shows, there’s no revenue, but Smart’s heart is in the right place.) And then there’s Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, who took to Twitter/X to show he was willing to do his part.

Um — thanks? It’s no million dollars, but the doodle will surely go a long way to lifting spirits whenever exhausted firefighters get the chance to check their phones next week. Twitter user Kristi Yamaguccimane compared MacFarlane’s gesture to Gal Gadot’s misguided “Imagine” video, exactly the kind of heartfelt but half-assed response that no one needed during the early days of COVID. At least MarFarlane’s cartoon wasn’t literally tone-deaf.

I’ll say this for Gadot — “Imagine” took some effort. The problem with MacFarlane’s gesture is that it was little more than that: a gesture. “i appreciate the sentiment behind this but theres something really funny about posting this when half of los angeles is on fire,” wrote @uncledoomer. “cool man thanks for the drawing of brian the dog from family guy.”

“imagine your house burnt down and you lost everything and this is the first thing you saw,” wrote @Baileymoon15.

And has anyone considered what Brian would say about the post?

Plenty of Family Guy fans are out there defending the drawing, and heck, it’s hard to kick a guy too hard for thanking firefighters. But here’s hoping our comedy heroes step up to the plate with more than good wishes as the disaster plays out. 

Stay safe out there, Seth.