Russian official wants Family Guy banned for "deliberate" offense

Being in hot water isn't new for Family Guy, but it isn't often a whole country wants you banned for your offensive views.

Family Guy is once again under fire, as Russian official Yana Lantratova has deemed a recent episode of the show as “deliberately offensive.” The episode in question is part of the 21st season, with episodes 19 and 20 titled From Russia with Love and Adult Education, Newsweek reports. The characters Meg, Stewie and Brian travel to Chelyabinsk, where Meg decides to stay and start a relationship with Russian hacker Ivan. However, it was Meg's singing of a parody of the Beauty and the Beast song “Belle” that prompted the backlash.

State Duma deputies demand a ban on the "Family Guy" episode about the Russian city of Chelyabinsk

"The artist has the right to his vision, but this is a deliberately offensive artistic image that has nothing to do with reality. This is a deliberate work against our country.… pic.twitter.com/2b5E0XzarN

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 9, 2023

According to Lantratova, the episode is a “deliberately offensive artistic image that has nothing to do with reality.” She went on to say that the show was “a deliberate work against our country. Information warfare through artistic works. They deliberately create an image of Russia as a country where everyone is unhappy with life, drinking, using drugs, taking bribes.”

Lantratova has called for a ban on the show, with major Eastern European news outlet Nexta reporting on her plea. While the singing voice used for the character of Meg Griffin appears to be different, Ukrainian-born actress Mila Kunis usually voices her. Kunis also showed off her ability to speak Russian in the episode.

However, Eastern European expert Sergej Sumlenny tweeted that the scenes were actually quite accurate. “I have seen real Chelyabinsk, and this video is very authentic,” he wrote. Several other Twitter users shared images of the city of Chelyabinsk and made similar observations.

Family Guy has a history of derogatory visuals and statements, so it's unlikely that this Russian plea will halt the series. The show's two-part episode formed the Season 21 finale for the long-running Fox comedy.