In a clip for the highly anticipated crossover episode due to broadcast this Sunday in the US, Stewie makes the below joke.
The president of The Parents Television Council Tim Winter, says he wrote to Seth MacFarlane, Fox, and Simpsons creator Matt Groening in August to request the rape joke be removed from the Sept. 28 episode, but received no response, say Buzzfeed - who also requested comment from MacFarlane, but have yet to get one.
Not everyone was offended by the joke, though, as Katherine Hull Fliflet, a spokeswoman for the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) told Associated Press. “I think the show is making it clear that rape is not funny by how they are positioning the joke,” adding, “It’s my hope that would be the viewers’ take-away.”
It's very 'Family Guy' humour, and that show has always pushed somewhat of a sharp edge in terms of its punchlines. But it's weird to see The Simpsons, a far more amiable show, as part of such a controversy.