news

The eerie joke about Kevin Spacey in Family Guy we'd all missed 12 years ago.

For the second time, Seth MacFarlane has been found to have referenced allegations of sexual misconduct in Hollywood, well before they were public knowledge.

While hosting the Academy Awards in 2013, the Family Guy creator read out the nominees for best Supporting Actress alongside Emma Stone. “Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein,” he said, a comment that attracted a murmur of knowing laughter.

And today, a clip from a 2005 episode of Family Guy, could indicate the accusations against 58-year-old Kevin Spacey were, too, another ‘open secret’ in Hollywood.

Over the weekend, Star Trek: Discovery actor Anthony Rapp, spoke to Buzzfeed about an alleged incident that took place at Spacey’s home when Rapp was 14 years old.

The now 46-year-old actor claims that he attended Spacey’s home for a party, and at the end of the night Spacey – then 26 – picked him up, placed him on his bed, climbed on top of him and made an overt sexual advance.

On Sunday, Spacey tweeted an apology, which read, “I honestly do not remember the encounter, it would have been over 30 years ago. But if I did behave then as he describes, I owe him the sincerest apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior, and I am sorry for the feelings he describes having carried with him all these years.”

LISTEN: We unpack the Harvey Weinstein saga on Mamamia Out Loud. Post continues below. 

The House of Cards actor continued, “This story has encouraged me to address other things about my life. I know that there are other stories out there about me and that some have been fueled by the fact that I have been so protective of my privacy.”

For the first time, he announced publicly, “I now choose to live as a gay man.”

The announcement has drawn a great deal of criticism, as it appears Spacey has deflected serious allegations regarding sexual misconduct with a minor by publicly ‘coming out’, perpetuating a harmful and bogus myth about the correlation between paedophilia and homosexuality.

Now, a 12-year-old Family Guy clip has resurfaced, raising questions about whether Spacey’s alleged behaviour was known to industry insiders.

The now-eerie clip features Stewie, the baby of the animated series, running through a room naked while yelling, “Help! I’ve escaped from Kevin Spacey’s basement! Help me!”

Of course, at the time the reference would have flown over our heads.

Macfarlane, the creator of the series as well as the voice of most of its characters, is yet to comment on the relevance of the clip.