In an episode of Family Guy, baby Stewie runs through a crowded mall wearing only a diaper and yells for help.
“Help!” Stewie shouts. “I’ve escaped from Kevin Spacey’s basement!”
In early October, when news broke about decades of sexual abuse by Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, social media users recalled MacFarlane’s 2013 Oscar speech, where he made a pointed stab at Weinstein.
After announcing the nominees for Best Supporting Actress, MacFarlane said: “Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.”
His quip drew immediate laughter from the celebrity crowd.
MacFarlane has not yet commented on the Family Guy clip, but he did issue a statement about the 2013 Oscars joke, saying that he took a jab at Weinstein after his friend and actress Jessica Barth confided in him in 2011 about an encounter with Weinstein and “his attempted advances.”
MacFarlane is not the only comic to have poked fun at alleged sexual abusers in Hollywood. Tina Fey’s show, 30 Rock, included a blunt joke about Weinstein’s predatory behavior.
The comedic references about sexual assault are especially poignant, since part of the discussion in recent week has centered around who knew about the misdeeds as they happened.
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