‘FAMILY' DIVIDE: ‘Family Guy' actor's mom says show is corrupting today's youth, hopes to see program canceled (POLL)

As a member of the Parents Television Council (PTC), Barbara Warburton’s goal is to do whatever it takes to keep children from watching “corrupting” television programs such as Family Guy — even if it means butting heads with her son.

“The wrong messages are out there and that’s my main concern,” said Warburton, a Destin resident whose son Patrick voices the character Joe Swanson, a paralyzed cop, on the hit FOX TV show. “Shows like these are leading toward the destruction of morality… nothing seems sacred anymore.”

Through the PTC, Warburton and thousands of others with like-minded beliefs filed a formal complaint of indecency to the Federal Communications Commission last year to protest the program that commonly makes fun of Christianity, homosexuals and most other topics that might be deemed off limits.

Describing her son as a “compassionate, wonderful, caring and sincere” person, Warburton told The Log that she doesn’t approve of some of the roles that he has chosen over the years.

In addition to Family Guy, Patrick, who is a regular visitor to Destin, has also appeared in Seinfeld, The Tick, Rules of Engagement and Bee Movie, just to name a few. To read a couple of local profiles on the celebrity, click here.

And while she has never watched the animated Family Guy series, Warburton said she has read both show reviews and episode capsules from Family Guy, which is the No. 1 primetime half-hour comedy among teens and the No. 2 show on television amongst teens 12-17, according to the PTC.

“I have highly encouraged him to quit the show, but it hasn’t been very successful yet,” she said. “I have always adored people in this industry who turn down roles because of their convictions, but Patrick isn’t one of those people.”

“It’s a dichotomy that we have… where he wants to do shows and work with people that offend God,” she added. “I don’t want to offend God.”

When The Log asked the former actress what her son has to say about her aversion to the show, she said it was a business decision for him.

“He says it’s not his fault that parents let their kids watch the program,” Warburton said. “Many parents do keep an eye and supervise what their kids watch, but many parents don’t.”

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane offered this statement, according to hollywoodreporter.com, when asked about the PTC’s complaint:

"Oh, yeah. That’s like getting hate mail from Hitler. They’re literally terrible human beings. I’ve read their newsletter, I’ve visited their website, and they’re just rotten to the core. For an organization that prides itself on Christian values — I mean, I’m an atheist, so what do I know? — they spend their entire day hating people..."

As for the roles Warburton said she would like to see her son take, a remake of “My Three Sons” tops her list, with Patrick playing the show’s father figure.

“He would be amazing in that type of a role,” she said. “He is such an amazing father and son; we have such a close family.”

And while Warburton said the family is very “tight-knit,” to this day, she still “prays” that her son will quit the show and that enough people will quit watching the show.

“If people who were Christians acted like Christians, they wouldn’t be watching that show anyway,” she said.