„I Got a Letter from My Father About How Disappointed He Was.” The Role in Seinfeld Became the Source of Actor's Family Problems
For some, a role in a popular TV series like Seinfeld can be a big opportunity to enjoy, but the enthusiasm may not be shared by everyone. This is what the actor, whose parents were not happy with his role in sitcom, found out.
Seinfeld is a beloved sitcom that enjoyed considerable popularity. Nevertheless, its humor did not reach everyone, as confirmed by one of the actors appearing in the series. Patrick Warburton played the mechanic David Puddy. His role in the TV series became a source of dispute in his family, which did not support Warburton's professional choices.
The actor talked about coming from a religious family and how his parents did not support his career choices. Warburton confessed during the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast that his parents' problem with Seinfeld stemmed, among other things, from the fact that sex act was not treated as sacred.
The first show, the first episode I did is Seinfeld. I got a six-page letter from my father about how disappointed he was and the choices I was making. [Episode] was called Fusilli Jerry and I was [Seinfeld's] mechanic and I stole his move and used it on Elaine. So they had an issue with not dealing with the sex act with any sanctity. Because as we all know, the sex act is full of sanctity – it's all about procreating and nothing else.
The actor did not take his parents' accusations seriously and did not listen to their pleas for him to drop the project. For that's right, the problem with his roles was not only Warburton's father, but also his mother, who was not happy with her son's career. Only over time, as recounted by David Puddy actor, when she discovered that all her friends were watching Seinfeld, his mom came around to accepting his time on Seinfeld. However, there is one other Tv show that continues to be a problem in his family relationships – Family Guy. Warburton has provided the voice of Joe Swanson for 25 years.
My mother's part of the Parents Television Council, and their biggest fish to fry is to get Family Guy off the air. My mother actually gave me a petition to sign to get Family Guy off the air, and then I reminded her what I do, how I'm putting her grandkids through college. [...] They saw everything as blasphemous.
Even the fact that Warburton is securing a better future for his children with his earnings from Family Guy, and even supporting his own parents with them, hasn't convinced them to let go of the subject of his job – the actor assures them that this one is still a problem.
