'Family Guy' Releases Health PSA Because That's Where We're At Now

If the increasingly frequent clues hinting at a mass extinction, the triumphant return of murder hornets, and social media's unending obsession with a Starburst commercial from 2007 weren't enough indicators that the end is nigh, it seems Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy and artist behind the “We Saw Your Boobs” song from the 2013 Oscars, has emerged as the fourth horseman of the apocalypse. Readers, I regret to inform you that we're now so desperate to convince vaccine skeptics and anti-vaxxers to get the Covid-19 jab and that we've called upon Stewie and Bryan Griffin as voices of reason. 

Earlier this week, the team behind the long-running animated series took some time off from animating Peter Griffin's 40th 10-minute brawl with a chicken to share a very important message about the Covid-19 vaccine – just get it. Featuring Stewie and Brian shrinking down and entering into Peter's bloodstream, the three-minute clip explains the science behind how the shots work. “Vaccines protect us from illnesses by activating our immune response without the danger of actual infection, thereby training the body to fight off the real thing," Stewie explains from inside Peter's body. “Some of the COVID vaccines work by exposing your immune system to proteins, which resemble the spike proteins of the virus but cannot infect you.” In the end, of course, Peter gets the jab. 

Created as a part of the Ad Council’s “It’s Up To You” initiative aimed at spreading important information about the Covid-19 vaccine, Lisa Sherman, the media company's president and CEO, is hopeful that Stewie and Brian's explanation will get through to at least one vaccine laggard, because let's face it, it sure as hell seems like we're running out of ways to convey crucial vaccine info at this point. 

“With millions of Americans still unsure about getting vaccinated against COVID-19, it’s more important than ever that we have smart, informative and entertaining messages like this that will boost confidence in the vaccines,” Sherman told Deadline. “This new work from Seth MacFarlane and the team at Family Guy is bringing critical vaccine information to audiences in a fresh and hilarious way that will surely inspire people to take the next step in slowing the pandemic. We are grateful to our partners at Disney and Fox for their passion and collaboration at this pivotal moment in time.”

Family Guy showrunners, Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin agree, telling the outlet they're happy with their clip. “We were proud to work with some of the nation’s leading immunologists and epidemiologists on this PSA," they said. “And while we never understood a single note they gave us, we took them all.”

So folks, if you're still not vaccinated, please, please, please take it from global health experts, the CDC and other health ministries, or hell, your favorite Family Guy characters: Get vaccinated and help us end this trash fire – don't make the Ad Council drag Rick and Morty into this.  

Top Image: Fox/Ad Council

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