Oh my god, you guys, I’m still reeling! They actually *killed off* one of the best characters on Family Guy! I mean, seriously, after 23 seasons, it’s really, truly over for them. I can’t believe it! It feels like losing a friend, honestly. This is a dark day for all of us fans.
Ernie the Giant Chicken first showed up 25 years ago when the adult comedy series began, and he recently appeared for the last time.
The shocking scene of Ernie’s murder, which showed him being brutally killed and beheaded, first aired in March. However, it wasn’t until recently that the show’s executive producer, Alec Sulkin, officially confirmed the character won’t be returning.
He told TVLine in an interview last Thursday that he believes the character is dead.
The producer explained that the epic battle with the giant chicken provided so many visually impressive moments that it was difficult to create scenes that felt as exciting.
Fans recently rediscovered the show’s original pilot episode, which hadn’t been seen in over twenty years.
We really pushed our production team, and it’s possible we’ve already gotten everything we could from that character.
While Family Guy has resurrected characters before, creator Seth MacFarlane confirmed they have no plans to bring back Ernie the chicken.
Ernie the Giant Chicken, a character voiced by Danny Smith, and Peter Griffin, voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane, have been rivals ever since Ernie first appeared in the very first season’s finale.
He was killed by Meg, Peter’s daughter and a character voiced by Mila Kunis, in the Season 23 episode of the show, “The Chicken or the Meg.”
Meg began dating Nugget, Ernie’s son, but Peter, a longtime rival of Ernie, demanded she stop.
Ernie told Meg she needed to choose between him and Nugget, and her father, if she wanted him to be okay with their relationship.
She reacted by killing Ernie and placing his head on the front lawn, shocking the family.
Once producers made it clear Ernie’s character wouldn’t be coming back, fans flooded social media with a variety of responses.
Fans were surprised by the unexpected death of his character and the abrupt end to his long-running rivalry with Peter, which was resolved through the actions of Meg.
It was an unsuspecting ending by an unsuspecting character, some said.
Many people on Twitter said they weren’t shocked that Meg, the character they disliked the most, had spoiled a joke that had been going on for a while.
A fan expressed shock and sadness on X (formerly Twitter) at the news, wondering who could compete with Peter Griffin now and pleading for his return.
‘There’s no way they actually ended that storyline,’ another fan wrote on social media.
This chicken has been a long-running gag – it’s been battling Peter for so long, even before many of us were born! Meg unexpectedly defeating it would be a surprisingly fitting, yet incredibly rude, conclusion to the whole thing.
Some fans were in disbelief that Ernie would not return in the future.
One viewer criticized the creator and producers, saying their work often lacks consistency, and then shared specific examples from previous episodes to support their claim.
It’s confusing because his wife both leaves and stays with him in the same storyline. Plus, Brian dies but then reappears, so it seems likely he’ll be back very quickly.
A fan playfully suggested the actor might return in a surprising way, joking, ‘What if he comes back as a character on Robot Chicken?’
The playful argument between Peter and the chicken was a fan favorite part of the show, even though some viewers occasionally found it repetitive.
Thousands of fans liked and retweeted one fan’s account with the username @WeWantErnieBack.
The tweet announced a character’s death earlier this year and encouraged fans who wanted the character, Ernie, brought back to the show to show their support.
Some fans said the gag was ‘tiring’ while others looked at it as ending an iconic streak too soon.
’20 years of beef undone by the worst character on the show smh,’ a viewer tweeted.
One fan was shocked to learn the character had died, tweeting, “I didn’t even know he died! Who’s going to fight Peter now?”
Season 24 of Family Guy is scheduled to premiere in 2026. You can currently watch older seasons on Hulu.
A Halloween-themed episode aired on Monday. Called “A Little Fright Music,” it featured Stewie and Brian trying to create a spooky song for the holiday.
The episode also featured Lois’ haunting revenge prank on Peter after she caught him lying.
In April, Family Guy was renewed for four more seasons, all the way through the 27th.
Fox has also extended the runs of Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, and American Dad, ordering four additional seasons for each show.
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2025-10-08 03:53