Seth MacFarlane joked about Kevin Spacey too

FAMILY Guy creator Seth MacFarlane made a number of jokes about disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein over the years — and it turns out, he did the same for Kevin Spacey.

WHEN news broke last month of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s alleged string of sexual harassment incidents, keen-eyed Hollywood watchers picked up on a pattern of jokes about Weinstein over the years that suggested his behaviour was an industry open secret.

Front and centre was Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, who made an off-colour joke about Weinstein at a 2013 event to announce the nominees for that year’s Academy Awards.

In the wake of the Weinstein scandal, the spotlight now shines on Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey, who came out yesterday after actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey had groped him at a party more than 30 years ago, when Rapp was just 14.

Actor Anthony Rapp (left) has gone public with an allegation of sexual misconduct by Kevin Spacey. Picture: AFP

And once again, an unearthed Seth MacFarlane joke that appeared to predict the scandal is doing the rounds on social media.

A brief, 2005 clip from MacFarlane’s cartoon series Family Guy shows infant character Stewie Griffin running through a shopping centre while screaming: “Help! I’ve escaped from Kevin Spacey’s basement! Help me!”

Seth Macfarlane wrote this joke in 2005. How many more are victims of yours? pic.twitter.com/jpWLYWNisx

— Shane Rider 🇺🇸 (@shaneriderMA) October 30, 2017

MacFarlane was forced to explain his 2013 Weinstein joke when it went viral last month. Announcing the best supporting actress nominees for that year’s Oscars, he assured the actresses that they would “no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein”.

In an emotional Twitter post, MacFarlane revealed that his gag was a way of standing up to the Hollywood heavyweight, who had allegedly sexually harassed his friend and co-star Jessica Barth.

Actor Seth MacFarlane was forced to explain a 2013 joke in the wake of the Weinstein scandal last month. Picture: Getty

MacFarlane claims that Barth, who co-starred in his Ted movies and had a role on Family Guy, had told him about her horrifying experience with Weinstein in 2011.

“It was with this account in mind that, when I hosted the Oscars in 2013, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a hard swing in his [Weinstein’s] direction,” he tweeted.

“Make no mistake, this came from a place of loathing and anger. There is nothing more abhorrent and indefensible than abuse of power such as this.”