Taylor Swift’s massive influence on pop culture is far-reaching, and her influence is no stranger to the comedy animated series, Family Guy. Although the singer-songwriter has not personally voiced any characters, her music, image, and personality have been featured several times on the show.
Let’s break down the instances where Taylor Swift was referenced in Family Guy and how the series uses her music and image to add humor and satire to its stories.
One of the earliest references to Taylor Swift in Family Guy comes in the 2013 episode Roads to Vegas. In this episode, Stewie Griffin, one of the show’s main characters, bets all his money in a roulette game and bets on the number sixteen.
He mistakenly believes Swift has a song called Sixteen, hoping it is a lucky number. However, Brian quickly corrects him, revealing that the song he is referring to is actually called Fifteen. To Stewie’s surprise, the roulette wheel lands on fifteen.
In the 2014 episode 3 Acts of God, Family Guy explores a plot in which the characters Peter, Joe, Cleveland, and Quagmire attempt to locate God. Their journey takes them to the Country Music Awards (CMA) in Nashville, Tennessee, where they enlist the help of country music star Carrie Underwood for clues about God’s whereabouts.
During their time at the CMAs, the gang encounters Taylor Swift, who humorously introduces a parody character named Taylor Not-So-Swift, who performs a song about breaking up with a birthday cake.
In the 2016 episode titled Chris’s Got a Date, Date, Date, Date, Date, Taylor Swift makes her most prominent appearance to date, although she is voiced by voice actress Ursula Taharian rather than Swift.
In the episode, Chris Griffin, Peter’s teenage son, is excited to have a date with the pop star and take her to his school dance. However, after the dance, Swift performs a song that humorously criticizes Chris, making him look bad.
In addition to these episodes, Taylor Swift has had a few additional mentions on the show. For example, in the 2014 episode Baby Got Black, Peter Griffin humorously uses Swift’s music as an example when explaining white culture to Jerome.
Additionally, in the 2019 Thanksgiving episode, Stevie insists on playing Swift’s You Belong with Me during her wedding reception with her friend Clint Beltran, which features the iconic track from Swift’s Fearless era.
There is also a small Easter egg in the 2019 episode Rock Hard, where a Taylor Swift album cover appears at a vinyl record store called All Sales Are Vinyl.
Another Swift mention gets in Are You There God? It’s I, Peter, where Peter Griffin is stuck in an elevator with God. Peter used the opportunity to ask God if Taylor Swift and Katy Perry would ever make peace, referencing their once-rumored feud. God doesn’t answer but looks around for a “gay person” who might know.
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