Seth MacFarlane

Seth MacFarlane is an American actor, comedian, producer, writer and musician. He is best known for creating the popular animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad!, and The Cleveland Show. In 2012 MacFarlane made his movie director debut with the comedy Ted. In 2013 he hosted the 85th Annual Academy Awards. The fall of 2017 saw the debut of his sci-fi comedy The Orville.

Seth MacFarlane Religious Beliefs

Seth is an atheist. He has been vocal with the media about not believing in God and in advocating his athiesm. “We have to. Because of all the mysticism and stuff that’s gotten so popular,” MacFarlane said (1). “It’s like the civil-rights movement. There have to be people who are vocal about the advancement of knowledge over faith.”

Seth MacFarlane Gay Rights

MacFarlane is a strong supporter of LGBTQ rights. He has spoken about the need for greater acceptance of homosexuals in general, saying, “I’m incredibly passionate about my support for the gay community and what they’re dealing with at this current point in time.”

Many episodes of Family Guy and American Dad! have addressed gay subject matter head on, both for laughs and to bring more awareness to different lifestyles.

However, MacFarlane’s humor has sometimes offended gay rights groups. In 2010 an episode of Family Guy titled “Quagmire’s Dad”, which featured a transgender character, drew the ire of GLAAD. The organization felt that several of the episode’s jokes cast transgender people in a poor light, even going so far to label the humor as “incredibly offensive.” (2)

Seth MacFarlane Political Views

MacFarlane is a liberal and sides with the Democratic party. He has donated over $200,000 to the 2008 election campaign of Barack Obama. In the 2016 democratic primary race Seth endorsed candidate Bernie Sanders. When Sanders was knocked out of the running, MacFarlane threw his support behind Hillary Clinton.

He also believes in the legalization of marijuana:

Seth MacFarlane Dating & Relationships

While he seems to be a perpetual bachelor in his mid-thirties, MacFarlane claims that he “dates as much as the next guy.”

In 2012 Seth struck up a romantic relationship with Game of Thrones cast member Emilia Clarke. The two were a couple for six months before calling it quits, though they still remain friends.

Seth has a younger sister, Rachael, who is also a voice actress and writer.

Seth MacFarlane Close Call

On the morning of September 11, 2001, MacFarlane was scheduled to fly from Boston to Los Angeles. His flight was American Airlines Flight 11. After a late night, MacFarlane was late to the airport and missed boarding his plane by ten minutes.

Shortly after arriving at the airport, Flight 11 was hijacked by the 9/11 terrorists. MacFarlane had rented a car and begun driving across the country when the world learned of the terror attacks in New York City and Washington. Several people thought that he had boarded his flight and was onboard the aircraft when it flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

“The only reason it hasn’t really affected me as it maybe could have is I didn’t really know that I was in any danger until after it was over, so I never had that panic moment,” Seth has said about his near-miss.

“After the fact it was sobering but people have a lot of close calls; you’re crossing the street and you almost get hit by a car….this one just happened to be related to something massive. I really can’t let it affect me because I’m a comedy writer. I have to put that in the back of my head.” (3)

Miscellaneous Trivia

• Seth is a big fan of Star Trek, particularly The Next Generation. He starred in an episode of Star Trek Enterprise.
• A lover of musicals and song, Frank Sinatra was an important influence on this side of Seth’s talent.
• In 2014 he produced a new version of Cosmos, the science program created by Carl Sagan.

Sources:
1: http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a6099/seth-macfarlane-interview-0909/
2: https://www.glaad.org/2010/05/10/glaad-shares-community-concerns-about-last-nights-family-guy/
3: http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/articles/seth.cfm

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