Top 10 Most Disturbing Family Guy Characters

In the early days of the show, Brian often served as the voice of reason. Today, he’s a sleazy womanizer at best and an actual sociopath at worst. He overlooks extreme neglect at Stewie’s daycare just because the woman in charge is hot … until he discovers she has a boyfriend. When he witnesses a beautiful woman crash her car into a lake, he lets her drown after he finds out she has a baby. And he continues investing in a protein shake company even after he learns the shakes are made from dogs. We’re with Quagmire on this one. Brian is terrible.

Stewie talks a lot about world domination and killing his mother, but these days, it’s mostly just talk. Penelope, on the other hand, actually does it. After she murders a kid on the playground, Stewie is immediately smitten. The two become friends, and Penelope begins pressuring Stewie into progressively more violent and destructive acts, from drowning Copenhagen to starting a nuclear war in the Middle East. When Brian tries to intervene, Penelope decides to kill him too. There’s not much that’s more disturbing than a cold-blooded toddler who gets her kicks from mercilessly slaughtering thousands of people.

Season nine’s musical Christmas episode starts on a jolly note, as the residents of Quahog sing about the gifts they want. But it takes a turn when a mall Santa is rude to Stewie and Brian, and Stewie decides to travel to the North Pole to confront the real Santa Claus. What they find there is horrific. To keep up with humanity’s growing demands, Santa has forced the elves to inbreed until they’re so mutated that they’re barely sentient. The reindeer have turned into feral carnivores feasting on elf flesh, and Santa himself is at the end of his rope. The whole thing is shocking, but maybe a good metaphor for the destructiveness of consumerism.

Lois’s side of the family is full of questionable characters. Her father Carter withheld the cure for cancer so he could make more money off of treating it, among other atrocities. [xref] But at least he’s not a serial killer like his son Patrick. Lois’s brother is the infamous Fat Guy Strangler. When Lois discovers he’s been locked up in an asylum for years, she takes him into her home, but it’s only a matter of time before he kills again. He even goes after Peter, although the family is able to save him in the nick of time. It’s safe to say that the Griffins should have left Patrick behind bars.

When Chris gets interested in puppets, he soon becomes friends with the kindly old puppet store owner. But this guy isn’t as nice as he seems. He’s an actual Nazi. Mr. Herbert – who turns out to be a World War II veteran – recognizes him, and it triggers painful memories of his time in a death camp. Franz wasn’t just a prison guard – he was a particularly sadistic one. Herbert tries to warn the Griffin family, but they don’t listen. When Chris discovers Franz’s secret, Franz takes him and Peter captive. Fortunately, Mr. Herbert shows up to save the day, and Franz gets the fitting end he deserves.

This episode can be pretty hard to watch, especially if you or someone you care about has been through something similar. After Quagmire is hospitalized, his sister Brenda and her boyfriend Jeff show up. Let’s just say that Jeff’s last name suits him. He’s horribly abusive to Brenda, assaulting her physically and mentally throughout the episode. He’s completely shameless about it, insulting Brenda right in front of everyone. Unfortunately, Brenda doesn’t feel able to leave him. This leads to the guys hatching a plan to kill him – and even Joe the cop is in on it. Like Franz, Jeff finally gets what’s coming to him.

“Family Guy” has never shied away from offensive humor, but mocking a veteran with severe PTSD is pretty low even for this show. Kevin went missing in Iraq and was presumed dead, but it turns out he actually went AWOL. He’s traumatized from the horrors he witnessed, which results in some very disturbing behavior. Kevin even tries to take his own life in front of Brian and Stewie in a scene that’s played for laughs. He clearly has a lot of mental problems, and if his parents were a little more empathetic, they’d have that kid in therapy.

It’s amazing that this show is so successful considering that it’s built around such an unlikable main character. Peter is rude, obnoxious, destructive, and abusive. He’s cheated on Lois multiple times and hits on other women right in front of her. He’s blown up a hospital – twice – and there’s no telling how many people he’s killed. He can’t stand his own children and spends practically all of his free time at the bar with his friends. What’s even more disturbing than Peter himself is how many audience members consider him relatable.

If you’ve seen even one episode of “Family Guy,” we probably don’t need to explain why Quagmire is on this list. He’s literally a predator, and no one is off limits. He shows up to the Griffin house to hit on Meg the day she turns eighteen. He has an affair with Cleveland’s wife and spies on Lois in the bathroom. He’s also known for ignoring consent and even using illicit substances on women to get his way. In the episode "Quagmire's Quagmire,” he meets Sonja, who’s even more sadistic than he is. You’d think getting a taste of his own medicine would inspire Quagmire to change his ways, but soon he’s back to his old disgusting behavior.

There’s only one character who can beat out Quagmire for the most disturbing, and it’s the creepy old man who’s obsessed with Chris Griffin. Not to mention every other young boy in the neighborhood. Every time he’s on screen, you know an extremely inappropriate joke is coming. Herbert, like Quagmire, doesn’t bother with getting consent. It seems like the only thing stopping him from committing heinous acts is the fact that he’s so old and frail. That makes us wonder what he got up to as a young man. They don’t call him Herbert the Pervert for nothing.



Which “Family Guy” character creeps you out the most? Let us know in the comments!