Top 20 Worst Things Peter Griffin Has Ever Done

“Lois Comes Out of Her Shell” Peter has never been the greatest husband. If he’s not blatantly trying to cheat on Lois, he’s reading her quite possibly the worst birthday speech known to man. And in front of all her friends, no less. In this episode, Lois is feeling upset about getting older, but her spirits are lifted when she finds a surprise party waiting at home. Unfortunately, it’s short-lived. Peter, in his speech, criticizes her aging body and says some other rather terrible things, only to top it off with a very confusing “I love you, sweetheart.” If you somehow forgot how self-involved Peter is, here’s your reminder.

Various Peter Griffin has a severe alcohol use disorder, and this has resulted in many instances of poor choices, especially when it comes to getting behind the wheel. In season three, he arrives late to a Christmas pageant and crashes his car into a decorative display. And that’s the least of it! Peter has caused incredible damage with his vehicle and has injured - and maybe even killed - numerous individuals. At one point, he and Joe even swap cars, and Peter drives the police car which is probably in violation of a dozen or so laws. Driving under the influence is never excusable, and Peter often does it to the detriment of others.

“Welcome Back, Carter” The wealth discrepancy between Peter and his father-in-law, Carter Pewterschmidt, has always been a recurring theme of the show. By season nine, Peter has had enough and decides to take advantage of Carter’s financial position. Only, it comes at the cost of Carter’s personal life. Peter finds his father-in-law having an affair and, while he initially agrees to stay quiet, he eventually blackmails Carter into submission. He uses his newfound power to enjoy the finer things in life, like a limousine joust that nearly gets them killed. Even worse, the blackmail was all for nothing, as Peter accidentally reveals the truth anyway. Maybe Carter deserves it, but blackmailing family members is a good way to ensure an awkward Thanksgiving.

“Dial Meg for Murder” Meg is consistently the subject of torment, even at the hands of her own family. Her mistreatment is one of the show’s most popular running jokes, but sometimes, it might go a little too far. In this episode from season eight, Peter learns of an upcoming rodeo competition. He decides to enter and practices his cowboy skills on Meg. In one rather shocking sequence, he lassos Meg while she’s laying in bed, violently drags her down the stairs, and takes her outside before attempting to brand her. Peter was never going to win any father of the year awards, but this whole charade might have just put him in the running for worst dad ever.

#16: What He Did to Survive

Also in:

Top 10 Worst Things Brian Griffin Has Done

“The Perfect Castaway” In the episode “Perfect Castaway,” Peter and his friends are fishing when they encounter a hurricane and are left stranded on the open sea. They are initially kept alive on a raft made of inflatable dolls, and it’s here where Peter commits an egregious sin. The guys find that Peter has been secretly eating food, only to discover that this “food” is… er, well, Joe. Since he’s a paraplegic, he didn’t feel any pain, luckily, but this is a whole other sort of line to cross. He didn’t even ask for permission! Even for Peter, this is way messed up.

“The Courtship of Stewie's Father” It’s not just Meg who bears Peter’s mistreatment. Lois asks Peter to bond with Stewie, as she feels that they are not close enough. Unsurprisingly, they both find enjoyment in tormenting Lois. As with most bits in this show, it’s taken to extremes, and Lois ends up in a car pushed into a lake by the father-son bonding duo. They laugh hysterically over the ordeal, and it’s only later that Peter grows a conscience and wonders about her safety. Poor Lois is probably used to the harassment from Stewie, but this is a lot from her own husband. It’s honestly a miracle that she hasn’t divorced him.

#14: Breaking Brian’s Nose & Teeth

Also in:

Top 10 Worst Things to Happen to Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)

“Brian the Closer” “Family Guy” got progressively gorier and more violent as it went, and that can be seen in season thirteen’s “Brian the Closer.” Brian rediscovers his old rope toy, but Peter wants it for himself. In an act of intense jealousy, Peter ties the rope to his car. Brian refuses to let go, resulting in him smashing his head against a fire hydrant. This incident reveals many horrible truths about Peter. Not only is he possessive and selfish, but he’s also prone to bouts of complete carelessness. In this case, his carelessness cost a frightful injury to a member of his family.

#13: Blowing Up the Bridge

Also in:

Top 10 Mind Blowing Conspiracy Documentaries

“Turban Cowboy” As seen in the controversial episode, Peter has even aided in acts of terrorism. He befriends a man named Mahmoud, who is revealed to be a terrorist targeting the Quahog Bridge. Peter gets roped into Mahmoud’s organization and is forced to drive the van that is loaded with explosives. While he successfully works with Joe to apprehend Mahmoud, the plan is nevertheless executed when Peter inadvertently detonates the explosives with his cell phone. We don’t even want to know what kind of damage this caused. As it is, the entire bridge and multiple vehicles were completely destroyed. It may have been an accident, but it was still a horrific crime.

#12: Shooting Joe & Quagmire

Also in:

Top 10 TV Shows Shooting During Quarantine

“Lottery Fever” Season ten opens with a bang. Literally. The Griffin family wins the lottery, and Peter gives money to both Joe and Quagmire. As a form of repayment, he forces them into humiliating acts for his own entertainment. This includes putting on a musical performance while Peter shoots them with a BB gun. After he’s asked to avoid the face, Peter intentionally shoots Joe straight in the eye. And because Quagmire has something to say about it, he is shot in the throat. It’s one of the worst instances of Peter acting deliberately malicious, given that he clearly takes great enjoyment in inflicting physical and emotional agony on his friends.

“The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou” Peter has a mean streak, and it comes out when he’s with Kyle, a 13-year-old who intimidates Chris. When Peter learns of this, he reacts in kind. And it is not pretty. Peter confronts Kyle over his recent behavior, but the young teen doesn’t take him seriously. Fed up with his childish conduct, Peter angrily attacks Kyle and leaves him in great pain, to put it mildly. While, admittedly, Peter’s reaction is a little satisfying, it doesn’t take away from how disturbing the whole thing is. Plus, this is actually one of the rare instances where Peter morally acknowledges his actions and shows some semblance of remorse.

#10: Becoming a Dealer

Also in:

Top 10 Worst Things Lois Griffin Has Ever Done

“Farmer Guy” Peter sometimes has good intentions. In this episode, he moves his family out of Quahog to escape its rising crime rates. They move to a farm and begin experiencing financial difficulties. Much to Peter’s delight, however, the family discovers a lab in the basement of the farm house while taking shelter from a tornado. Peter then goes full Walter White and begins producing methamphetamine to make money for his family. Of course, this new enterprise only worsens Quahog’s crime problem. Yes, Peter’s skills may be few, but resorting to drugs is hardly the answer.

“Family Gay” Peter is also quite malicious towards animals, as proven by his treatment of 'Til Death. This is a horse that Peter buys at a Kentucky auction and enters into the Quahog Derby. Unfortunately, the horse proceeds to harm a number of bystanders, then later dies of a heart attack. Peter disposes of the body the only way he knows how. Respectful burial? Cremation? Guess again, friends. Poor Mort has the horse delivered directly to his pharmacy counter - with extra emphasis on expedited shipping. Is someone going to call PETA, or should we?

“Meg Stinks!” When Peter’s not otherwise subjecting Meg to dreadful treatment, he’s making her an accomplice in his crimes. In a stunning reversal, this episode sees Peter and Meg actually bonding and spending some quality time together. That is, if robbing a bank counts as “quality time.” Peter proudly walks into the branch to show Meg how he pays for his “shenanigans.” He then whips out an assault rifle and robs the joint. Robbing the bank is bad enough, but Peter demonstrates an untapped level of hideousness by ordering Meg to do his dirty work.

#7: Quagmire’s Cat

Also in:

Top 10 Worst Things Quagmire Has Ever Done

“420” Quagmire is definitely a man who puts lust over love. That changes when he finds a cat living under his house. Quagmire begins spending more time with the animal than his friends, prompting a jealous Peter to perform a prank on the poor feline. He brings along a straight razor and attempts to shave the cat, but let’s just say the attempt goes poorly. Even worse, Peter continues to inflict hideous damage on the cat, falsely believing that it has nine lives. In this case, Peter’s stupidity overpowers his morals. At least both Cleveland and Joe are horrified. We needed someone to commiserate with here.

Various At this point, we’re surprised there’s still a Quahog to inhabit. Peter and Ernie’s rivalry stems all the way back to season two, when Peter attacked the chicken for giving him an expired coupon. This led to a long history of bewildering and bombastic fight sequences that parody over-the-top action movies. These fights get more elaborate as the series goes on, and the two cause an extraordinary amount of destruction. This is even referenced in the episode “Fecal Matters,” as Peter brings Ernie back to life, partly so he can help pay for damages. Of course, the blame isn’t all on Peter, here, but it seems he did throw the first punch…

“E. Peterbus Unum” While trying to have a pool installed, Peter discovers that his property doesn’t technically belong to the United States. Rather than getting this fixed, Peter founds his own independent land, known as Petoria. Even worse, he commits treason and declares war on America by invading Joe’s property and stealing his pool. Along the way, Peter befriends some notable dictators and has them all over for a barbecue. As Peter is so prone to doing, he gleefully allows the power to get to his head and becomes incredibly unlikable in the process. In the end, his power trip is squashed when the U.S. military comes knocking.

“If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin'” Peter is such a despicable person that God personally intervenes to stop his nonsense. In this episode from season two, Peter’s favorite sitcom gets canceled, so he decides to con the Grant-A-Dream Foundation. He pretends that Chris is sick with an incurable disease, but when the jig is nearly exposed, Peter claims that he “healed” Chris and basks in his newfound reputation as a God-like figure. Of course, this only incurs the wrath of the real God, and He sends down various plagues against the Griffin family. This is some serious blasphemy, and it nearly gets Chris killed.

“Turban Cowboy” This controversial episode strikes again with a particularly disturbing cutaway joke. Peter reveals he won a marathon, which we might commend him for if we didn’t know him better. The scene cuts to a large group of runners with Peter driving through the crowd and crossing the finish line in his car. It’s an incredibly dark gag, and it unsurprisingly got the episode in some trouble. Fox removed the episode from streaming following the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013. It remained banned until September 2022, when it returned to Hulu. “Family Guy” likes to push buttons, envelopes, and luck, but it can come at the expense of its characters and their likability.

“Hot Shots” Both Peter and Lois go against Brian’s advice and decide not to vaccinate Stewie. The two become fervent anti-vaxxers, but Lois eventually changes her mind when Stewie becomes sick. Peter, on the other hand, remains firm in his belief - so much so that he eradicates the city’s stash of vaccines. In a scene parodying “The Dark Knight,” Peter dresses as the Joker and completely decimates the hospital with a series of explosions. Not only does he wipe out all the vaccines, but he presumably kills a large number of people in the blast. It doesn’t get much worse than this.

#1: All the Murders

Also in:

Top 10 Reasons Why Lois Griffin Should Divorce Peter

Various We don’t know Peter’s true body count, but it has to be in the dozens, if not hundreds. There are the aforementioned incidents involving the hospital, the bridge, and the marathon, but those are just a few of Peter’s many, many infractions. In fact, Peter’s number of victims is directly referenced in the episode “Wild Wild West.” Peter says that, according to Reddit he’s killed 39 people, but that the number “seems low.” We’re right there with you, Peter. It’s hard to enjoy the man’s company when he’s portrayed as a psychotic mass killer, but at least he’s self-aware. If one thing’s for sure, he sets a new tone for the definition of a “family guy”.