'Family Guy' Creator Seth MacFarlane Explains What Inspired Viral 'Godfather' Joke

After a clip from a 2006 episode of Family Guy went viral, the show's creator and star Seth MacFarlane explained the origin of the famous joke in which Peter Griffin admits he didn't like The Godfather.

The clip is from the season 4 episode "Untitled Griffin Family History," which follows the family as they're trapped in a panic room with the Griffin family patriarch breaking down their family history.

As the panic room begins to flood, Peter confesses to his family, "I did not care for The Godfather."

The confession sparks a passionate debate among his family, who all vehemently disagree with him. When asked why he didn't like it, he adds, "It insists upon itself."

The clip recently went viral on social media, which prompted MacFarlane to reveal what inspired the joke.

"Since this has been trending, here's a fun fact: 'It insists upon itself' was a criticism my college film history professor used to explain why he didn't think The Sound of Music was a great film," MacFarlane shared on X, formerly Twitter. "First-rate teacher, but I never quite followed that one."

Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 epic features memorable performances from Al Pacino, James Caan, and Robert Duvall and is often regarded as one of the best movies of all time, and for good reason. The criticism that The Godfather "insists upon itself" is questionable at best.

The resurfacing of the clip generated discussion online, with many coming to the conclusion that it's Peter's way of saying it's "pretentious" because he can't quite articulate his thoughts.