Family Guy kills off iconic character 25 years after he was first introduced
The show has suffered a big loss.
Family Guy’s biggest recurring villain, Ernie the Giant Chicken, is officially dead after a 25-year run.
Peter Griffin’s archnemesis has been around since 2000, after being introduced in season two episode Da Boom, providing plenty of showdowns with our main guy and even more entertainment for viewers.
But this epic fictional rivalry has all come to an abrupt halt after it was confirmed Ernie the Giant Chicken shuffled off this mortal coil.
The panic that it might really all be over happened after season 23 episode The Chicken or the Meg, in which Meg starts dating Ernie’s teenage chick, Nugget, despite the historic beef between their families.
It was all very Romeo and Juliet.
When Ernie gives Meg an ultimatum – cut ties with Peter or end her relationship with Nugget – Meg takes a leaf out of Ernie’s book and chooses the secret third option: decapitating the Giant Chicken.
The death occurs in season 23 episode, The Chicken or The Meg (Picture: Fox) He was ultimately decapitated (Picture: Fox)The gory scene sees Ernie’s headless body running around before ultimately succumbing to its demise.
Now, the Fox animated series has killed off its main characters more than once and brought them back without blinking an eye, so there was every possibility this was a very temporary beheading.
However, months on, executive producer Alec Sulkin confirmed this chicken has, in fact, crossed the road. For good.
‘I think that the chicken has gone the way of all flesh,’ he told TVLine.
Then continued: ‘Honestly, I feel like we got so many great set pieces out of the giant chicken fighting with Peter that they became hard to top. It’s a lot to ask of our production crew, and we may have just gotten the best out of that character.’
The news has landed with a mixed reception for fans, with some agreeing it was time to put the long-running bit to bed.
‘I personally wasn’t a fan of the bit, but a lot of people liked it. The “goes on for so long that it’s funny” bits never worked for me,’ nacho_pizza wrote on Reddit.
The executive producer said they had gotten the best out of him (Picture: Fox)‘Maybe it’s just me, but the giant chicken bit was easily one of my least favourites on Family Guy,’ justahorsewithnoname echoed.
‘Was I the only one who really disliked that gag? I’m glad to see the tail end of it, so to speak,’ awh asked.
‘He’s right. At some point, it becomes hard to one-up every single fight,’ aresef agreed.
Meanwhile, others are convinced that the chicken will still make a return anyway.
And some have accepted his fate and are mourning his death, with glass-breadfruit7374 writing: ‘Noooo!’ while lynchmar6 declared: ‘rest in peace Ernie the Giant Chicken’.
It’s hardly the first time the show has killed off a recurring character for good. We’ve said goodbye to Peter’s father, Francis, and season nine saw a triple homicide with Muriel Goldman, Derek Wilcox, and Diane Simmons.
Most recently, Stewie’s nemesis Doug died in season 21.
Family Guy returns with season 24 in 2026. All 23 seasons are available to stream on Disney+ in the UK.
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