The Trans Cleveland Show Episode

[@dukeskunk]

The way Donna says "I don't know what I would do without my Auntie Mama, or if my image of her was changed in any way," leads me to headcannon that she has known for a long time (If not all along) and is subtly telling her man to mind his business.

[@GrayRain0]

It is on the nose and unlike most of the other McFarlane wives, Donna isn’t an idiot(90% of the time)… odds are your right honestly lol

[@polk-e-dot8177]

I will say, Donna *is* shown to be kinda dumb in some episodes. But Seth is inconsistent in his characters if it fits the joke. Does this joke make sense if Donna is smart? No? Then she's dumb. Does this joke make sense if she's dumb? No? Then she's smart. Peter from Family guy is a loving father, when that's the funny thing to be. And a hateful asshole when that's the funny thing he's an asshole.

[@bluewolf6323]

​@polk-e-dot8177 And the "Peter is an asshole joke" is 90% of the material...

[@red2coreblue584]

the delivery makes it seem that way honestly, i like to think of it like that

[@Gammera2000]

​@@bluewolf6323You ever think about how Fox's 2 famous animated sitcoms both have the husband become more of a jerkass as the show went on?

[@Enbionic_Titan]

Man, as a black, trans teenager who had to hide away my queerness by hyper-expressing my blackness, this episode had me so fucked up

[@dandylion8875]

Duuuuude. One of my biggest concerns before beginning transition was how it would make me look when I was older or starting "too late" as someone who is trans (which I know now is a silly thought), or being the yolk of cruel jokes by the people I love. I couldn't imagine seeing an episode like this one from that many layers of masking. Fuck Seth McFarlane.

[@nonpondo_]

I think this is the biggest issue at hand, the heavyyy stigma around lgbt in the black community is a standing wall that has been cemented in history around religion and culture based on the values of many countries, the idea to have this and play into it more with an episode written by a bunch of white people is kind of nightmarish, I feel like in general though this show will go down as a stain on the entertainment industry

[@Heliyum]

Not black myself, but I remember when my closest friends began to transition. She was called Madea as a “loving joke” by her own family & friends often. It was horrible, honestly.

[@Chorsanoidka]

​@@Heliyumsorry, but what is specifically so bad about that word? I don't understand

[@bobfrank7339]

it was Tyler perry women name when he was drag queening for God

[@Salemweltonting]

I'm a black trans man and I gotta say, you are doing the lords work going through these transphobic scenes and ideas in the media. I know it can be mentally draining but just know you have my support.

[@MikeOxlongMD]

lol

[@austint775]

@@MikeOxlongMDcope

[@ubhumma]

@@MikeOxlongMDkeep yourself safe

[@beans3977]

​@@jackdoyle9808 What's wrong with telling someone to keep safe?

[@CTGReviews]

@@beans3977probably deleted the comment

[@TuesdaysArt]

If you had any doubts about the episode being transphobic, Cleveland using the t-slur at the end says it all.

[@Topdoggie7]

Ouch!

[@SigmaVonLifter69]

T slur?

[@Idkpleasejustletmechangeit]

@@SigmaVonLifter69 a transphobic slur that starts with a t.

[@felicitymousey1195]

@@SigmaVonLifter69yeah t slur which was said by Cleveland

[@orangeismyfavoritecolor]

@@SigmaVonLifter69The word at 24:24. It’s a slur.

[@sweetstacks3631]

Lily's dedication to trying to make the bathroom thing work is honestly a flex

[@juliannacoulman6032]

it was incredible

[@salem-01]

I could practically see the “???”

[@quisait5794]

@@SigmaVonLifter69 Bro thoughts he ate with that one

[@rileyroseinabox6754]

She did say she did a TON of research for this episode lmao

[@timothymclean]

I question whether it was worth the effort, but good work, I guess.

[@transagenda]

Media-raised trans millennials sure can trace a lot of their internalized junk to the prolific work of Seth!

[@cammychoate]

I ran the numbers and the math checks out

[@theholyone6]

Ah now... gotta give south park some credit there too.

[@transagenda]

@@theholyone6 The list is truly long!

[@thumbwarriordx]

It feels slightly better when you realize Seth was mostly trawling 80's tropes for the first half of his career. Wasn't exactly helpful but it felt like the last gasp of a gag that was finally dying

[@theholyone6]

@@thumbwarriordx yeah, his newer stuff seems better. Parker and Stone are just your typical right wing libertarians who want to bully marginalized communities.

[@realimereads2707]

I feel so vindicted being uncomfortable with the black stereotypes as a black person after hearing it was written by 3 white guys💀

[@JaelynMcgee]

honestly same. I always felt so grossed out by how they see us

[@CavinLee]

Cleveland was voiced by a white guy putting on their best blaccent.

[@JaelynMcgee]

@CavinLee oh God I completely forgot about that

[@CavinLee]

@@JaelynMcgee yeah, it’s literally “Macho Man” Randy Savage going “I’m a girl” I think it was supposed to be a commentary on that trans swimmer who broke the women’s record and always continently leave out the fact the she broke the guys record too.

[@Theathegamer-gt8zu]

I also feel uncomfortable with those stereotypes, AND I’M FUCKING WHITE! 💀

[@evanescobar64]

I can confirm that shows like these really do influence people. My older brother loved watching shows like these and when I came out as a trans guy, he didnt yell at me. If anything he acted accepting. But from that day on, he made jokes like these. While def not as bad as this episode, it was this subtle transphobia. He truly believes my identity is some kind of inside joke among people who know im trans. And literally only correctly refers to me to mock me. So, this show making a mockery of peoples identity as if its an inside joke to mistreat trans individuals only normalizes this for the people watching.

[@MikeOxlongMD]

if you don't respect reality, and try to force delusion on others, expect it

[@esmestealeaves]

@@MikeOxlongMDI have to agree. The older brother should accept the reality of OP’s gender, use the correct pronouns, and stop forcing his delusion on others by acting like OP’s transness is an inside joke. I think the world would be so much better if we dispensed with such transphobic delusions ^_^

[@Deepseadread6]

@@MikeOxlongMDgo away bro lmao

[@derpdadouch3654]

@@esmestealeaves The original poster said that their brother does use the correct pronouns but they perceive them doing so as transphobia because they use it to mock them in their eyes. Can't say if that's truthful or not more than likely is, but they do use the correct pronouns just in a mocking way. But they could just as easily just call them the wrong thing so I don't know where's my noose I'm going to find a corner. My head hurts. Have a great day everyone and I hope your brother respects you and stops mocking you for your identity original poster. I especially hope that you have a good day.

[@dracocrusher]

As sad as that is, it's probably not unexpected... I don't think stuff like this makes people actively hateful or anything, like you said, but it really does normalize being disrespectful and bigoted in other ways. It's like this show basically gave people the wrong idea and helped them become ignorant when they wouldn't feel as empowered to act this way otherwise.

[@kfishert]

might be worth mentioning - the thing that irks me most about the whole "auntie mama kept the facade up during sex too" thing, is the typical assumption that being transgender is a fetish or a sexual act specifically. it speaks volumes on mcfarlane's own perception of trans people, in that he can only imagine them as a sexual object, to the point where he disregards his own lore for the character.

[@Random_Üser-z1y]

He did the same thing in family guy too with Brian and Quaqmire’s Mom, he’s a real piece of work

[@1bfnmusic1]

My mother is a huge fan of Seth MacFarlane and has been for a bit, it took her 5 years to be ready to accept me being trans after openly laughing in my face when I came out at 17. I'm 24 now. I feel like I have proof enough for a lawsuit against Fox for what they did to my family, between this and their garbage "news" network.

[@niicespiice]

you can try but they probably have really good lawyers

[@t221000]

I'm so sorry

[@MikeOxlongMD]

bahahaha a lawsuit, wow you people are delusional, I mean more than just on the obvious topics. Fox news and Fox entertainment are separate entities , genius, but no, that's even funnier, try to take Fox news to court over 20th Century Fox's programming. you people are always good for a laugh

[@zeldaglitchman]

I'm so sorry that happened to you, but how is that a sueable thing?

[@1bfnmusic1]

It was hyperbolic, I know theres no feasible case for that.@@zeldaglitchman

[@modernprometheus99]

Something that I don't think a lot of cis people get is that yes, even though this character seemingly isn't trans, in that in-universe she only dresses up as a woman for a specific reason, that doesn't mean the episode can't also be transphobic. Like, the major joke in the episode is "Penis therefore man" which is inaccurate and transphobic.

[@dracocrusher]

What I think people don't get is that you can't ride the line and then rug-pull the audience to be like "It's fine because they weren't really Trans after all". To anyone watching, that Character /IS/ treated as being Trans throughout the episode, and just trying to explain it away doesn't fix anything because everything is still framed around them being a Trans character with jokes targeted at Trans people. That stuff matters way more for the impact and feel of the episode overall than whether or not they fit a specific literal definition of Transness.

[@devforfun5618]

i think it would be more funny if the joke was about the character being an undercover cop@@dracocrusher and it was clear from the start that the character wasn't trans

[@dracocrusher]

@@devforfun5618 Sure, you could maybe make that work? Like Cleveland is seeing, I dunno, handcuffs, fake licenses, wigs, etc. because they're going undercover and he's just like "Oh noo, grammy has a a razor and a bag of pills?! She must be Trans!" And the entire time it's like basic disguise stuff and drugs so they can sneak into a gang to bust the drug ring or whatever. But I think the big thing is that the joke has to be on the person making the mistake, not the Trans person or the one they think is Trans. Otherwise, they're just punching down.

[@blueizumi]

Sometimes I remember when (edit: Family Guy) made a gag condemning JKR's transphobia and all the comments on a YT upload of it were pointing out that shows made by Seth Macfarlane weren't uch better in how he depicts the transgender community. This episode of the Cleveland show is an example of this.

[@nonpondo_]

Are we still in the era where we attribute all writing of family guy, the Cleveland Show, and American Dad to seth MacFarlane specifically

[@blueizumi]

@@nonpondo_ opps forgot lol

[@ashikjaman1940]

To be fair, JKR sucks so bad that Seth MacFarlane is probably unironically less transphobic (even assuming he hasn't improved since stuff like this idk since I don't keep up with stuff like that)

[@Starbucks-sj5ph]

@@ashikjaman1940 oh definetly, even if the Seth MacFarlane shows jokes are bad, at least he isn't on twitter being a terf liking posts calling trans women "men in dresses"

[@clownrat5759]

@@ashikjaman1940can’t disagree with that on most terms. Both are extremely harmful because one is a famous writer and the creator of Harry Potter, one of the most famous franchises to exist. The other created MULTIPLE shows, and both of them use their media as a way to express their transphobic views. JKR does it further by funneling the money she receives into anti LGBT+ (specifically anti trans) organizations. Not sure on what Seth has done, to be honest, beyond being a total douche rocket

[@starpower1884]

I swear, being black, and any part of the lgbt community is like a death sentence is some areas. And in others its at best like putting a target on your back. I feel for my fellow black sisters and brothers and siblings out there that just want to live their life.

[@bobtheball5384]

My family makes it really hard. They chalk it up to me being influenced by white people, as if me wanting to be myself has anything to do with em. It hurts man.

[@bluewolf6323]

I am lucky that my aunt, my mom, and my sisters are so accepting of my sexuality but I am so worried about my other family members, older generation heavily Christian, that I am worried about me getting a girlfriend. I would love to have a girlfriend one day and be able to bring her home to show how in love I am, but it is so worrying because news gets around in my family.

[@monkeyboy831ful]

even as a 14 year old, seeing this episode air in real time, i still thought it was too much to just be a joke. almost felt like seth was working through some personal stuff in the writing instead of getting therapy or at least talking with a friend about it

[@sunrise.system]

barely started the video and 'the seth mcfarlane transphobia variety hour' is already killing me

[@aquariTerrible]

Same! I paused and did a double take lol

[@Long_May_They_Raine]

Oh my god, as a black trans person this show makes me want to fucking drop kick Seth MacFarlane fr

[@GumSkyloard]

To be fair, Seth hasn't been writing for his shows since 2011, so, it's not *all* his fault. But can't say he's much better, he's been an absolute ass.

[@evidevi5847]

i was watching this episode a few months back, and i was shocked by how bad it aged.

[@Topdoggie7]

Kick him! Kick him!

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

What do you think of Tyler Perry’s Madea character?

[@SolorHarbinger1357]

​@@nuclearcatbaby1131so true double standards 😂

[@pigeon2531]

The vomiting warning is VERY appreciated, so many videos on youtube will jumpscare you with that and its very much not fun as an emetophobe. Kudos!

[@Gilgamessedup]

With media like this, it’s no wonder why self hatred is such a common disease for us Trans Folk. Everything in Media tells us we are gross and to be hated. It’s sad. It’s really sad.

[@6Shots_ofEspresso]

personally, as a black person, my opinion on white people analyzing media starring black people/culture is that if theyre not criticizing things they dont understand, like references to cultural element, or if the media is made for/by white people, go ham. edit: the fact that you did research for this makes me 10x more willing to hear your opinion on this, *go ham!!*

[@allisonroth]

That shot of Lily with the toilet made me laugh out loud

[@crazyshipper69]

I always thought kevin/ auntie mama was genderfluid and wasn't bothered with changing their pronouns. As a young cis black girl I didn't care much but i did find it funny.

[@Luna5829]

their*

[@crazyshipper69]

@@Luna5829 shit my bad

[@gh0stgarbage]

Glad to hear it didn’t seem to influence you for the worse, many aren’t so open minded

[@crazyshipper69]

@@gh0stgarbage when I was a kid I would latch on to anything that didn't fit the cis and straight "rule" in media. I was kinda obbsessed with it cuz I was taught that stuff was "bad" but when I watched them on tv they were unique, and kind, and clever, and considerate and domestic everything that i was taught they weren't and it confused me. It left me with questions that I thought were too embarassing to ask my black, christian, carribean family. I also had a mom who neglacted to shelter me from certian things she deemed inappropriate which ended with spending many nights during my 5-7 ish years watching all of adult swim. So i did a lot of research on my own.

[@FakeGhosthunter002]

Completely unrelated but I love your lesbian mk icon

[@markuswithak5084]

I'm not surprised that this was the worst episode. The Cleveland Show was arguably the worst show of them too!

[@apocrypha5363]

I was shocked when Lilly said it got *four* seasons! I was a fan of Family Guy back then (I was a dumb kid,) and even I checked out of this show in a few episodes.

[@markuswithak5084]

@@apocrypha5363 yeah,like Lily said the comedy of family isn't just comedy anymore. Maybe it was in the past? Nowadays it is a weird,unfunny joke stretches to excessive lengths that make you nervously chuckle at it because it makes you uncomfortable and want it to stop. THAT is what Family Guy comedy is these days

[@Hauntaku]

@@markuswithak5084 Family Guy was never good

[@marciamakesmusic]

​@Hauntaku the first season or two is okay

[@GrayRain0]

It was the worst one comedy wise. But I enjoyed its cast a lot more then Family Guy’s

[@bevdin]

loving the seth mcfarlane transphobia variety hour videos, all these points were really well presented :) (also thank you so so much for the vomit warnings, it seems nobody includes those and i really appreciate it as someone easily triggered by that :D)

[@TheGuindo]

yes same! it's shocking how many youtubers will just show clips of people vomiting without any prior warning about it. i was on edge the whole time waiting for her to cut to that clip without warning, and _so_ relieved that she actually did warn and say how far to skip right before it

[@samb3209]

Definitely appreciated!

[@MikeOxlongMD]

lol vomiting is the part that you find sickening

[@TheGuindo]

@@MikeOxlongMD no, nobody is sitting here going "well i'm fine with the transphobia but i draw the line at showing people throwing up." many people have what is called a sympathetic vomit response. seeing or hearing someone else throwing up triggers a primal reflex deep in our lizard brain that goes "hey, if they're doing that, you better do it too just in case". watching, and especially hearing (which is why cartoons still get to me), someone vomiting makes me feel literally, physically, ill. so yes i would rather avoid that if possible!

[@alannahmoore6532]

Yes! I have a legit phobia of vomit that can lead to massive anxiety attacks when I see it even in movies so I appreciate the warnings!!! Lily is the best ❤️

[@raemystic8854]

Lily I can assure you that you are definitely funnier than Seth McFarlane. The cutaway and the trying to figure out the toilet bit were golden

[@MikeOxlongMD]

lol you people don't deal with reality very well.

[@marciamakesmusic]

​@@MikeOxlongMDcry

[@darkbeetlebot]

2:15 I regret to inform you I actually laughed at that one. They actually finally acknowledge that the cutaways are random and stupid and made a decent joke about it. It caught me off guard so well that I found it funny.

[@Wiggimus]

Yeah, actually, same 😆

[@derplerp8174]

Same

[@Vulpes_Ailurus]

It’s a shame because Auntie Momma had so much potential. She was one of the few actually funny characters in this show. She’s outrageous.

[@x-itsamystery-x1132]

That's exactly what upsets me about this episode. I was somewhat forced to watch the show, but Auntie Momma was one of the few characters who were actually decent and weren't so morally flawed. Seeing how the entire episode seems to center around how terrible it is that she "secretly has a penis" is upsetting since they could've made her an honestly funny, reoccurring character, and they instead played her off as a horrible transphobic joke.

[@CoryMck]

12:56 the joke is that you expect him to say "that's one way to skin a cat" due to the expression. But he doesn't.

[@SophSophSoph298]

OMG THE SETH MCFARLANE TRANSPHOBIA VARIETY HOUR HOSTED BY MY FAVOURITE MEDIA STUDIES GRADUATE!? MY FAVORITE

[@teradul2480]

8:30 Why is there a whole-ass window in the bathroom? Why isn't it a bathroom-style window and if it isn't why doesn't it have drapes to keep your private business private?

[@TheoRae8289]

Older house maybe. I did live in a really old house with a full window in the bathroom in my early teens.

[@amoureux6502]

​@@TheoRae8289I live in one now and we at least have curtains

[@unknown6390]

Cleveland Show is a bad show 😂

[@Suddenly_Audrey]

Honestly, as a show centered around a black family (a group known to not be very accepting of LGBT culture for the most part, although it's getting better, I am black and trans myself) my expectations when I watched this episode were very, very low. The season 2 episode "Terry, unmarried" was pretty bad and that was just centered around one of Cleveland's friends wanting to marry his lover. Cleveland was never fully accepting of that either by the end of the episode. The point is this doesn't excuse Seth Mcfarlane or whoever wrote this and other lgbt episodes on his shows, but considering the setting and the cast, it's probably not that out of the ordinary. especially for the year this episode came out.

[@Topdoggie7]

Yeah African American people are very unaccepting towards the LGBT often enough that I believed this was accidentally somewhat accurate and not surprising.

[@hydro7373]

Cleveland is also just straight up anti-gay and homophobic when he goes back to family guy

[@graysonrogers-barnes6302]

It does suck though, since making them accepting would have been at least nice to see. Of course, it wouldn't be a Seth McFarlan show if people nice.

[@SashaS-s2z]

All I know about Seth MacFarlane, is: - transphobia - more transphobia - vomit fetish - I keep mistaking him for Todd MacFarlane

[@livliveart]

Comsidering how awful some of the stuff you've covered has been, I'm scared to find out what makes this one "the worst". Oof

[@myriahkeays3846]

It’s It’s bad

[@inrodu_1027]

after the end of this video...oh god. it's worse than bad.

[@dracocrusher]

I'll give this episode one thing, which is that cutting off the end of "She's a Man-Eater~!" actually was pretty funny. It's kind-of a crappy joke, but I did chuckle at it, in a kind-of edgy shitpost way. "O-ohhh, here she comes!~ She's a man-!" Like it's got big "Look at dis -Graph!!!" energy, lol. The rest of the episode? Actively despicable. I mean, holy shit, this was bad! This is like "replace Transness with AIDS and the main plot dilemma would still work" levels of bad!!! I can look past the bad jokes about them being a man as a poorly aged product of its time, but the reveal is just.... This is every right-wing talking point about how Trans people are just putting on a performance and the fact that it seems like it's trying to make that sympathetic somehow makes it feel more disgusting. It doesn't even make sense, like... why do women NEED a strong female figure in their life? Why couldn't they just raise her as a man instead of putting on this whole charade? And I feel like trying to unpack that just makes this worse in even more ways than just the Trans stuff........... The only way this could get worse is if the Trans character was there to sexually assault someone or some crap, and that trope wasn't even really 'a thing' when this episode came out compared to how hard reactionaries have pushed it in 2020 and onwards. Just Jesus Christ, Seth, this was REALLY not okay!

[@devforfun5618]

the only joke i though aws good too, but just because i already knew the character was actually a man, a good dose of dramatic irony would improve the episode@@dracocrusher

[@tinycrimester]

i was like "how did i forget about this show's existence? why did i never watch it?" and then i get a few jokes from cleveland and... yeah... i see it now...

[@incineroar9933]

The only thing they had to do was have everyone dunk on Cleveland for being a wimp.

[@nuberiffic]

I was just thinking that. The perfect ending would have been to have Cleveland try to humiliate Freight Train at the end, only for him to turn around and say, "Yeah, I don't care, I really like her. You're a piece of shit for trying to expose her."

[@Coconut_Prrson]

Homer's phobia

[@Kingmationproductionz]

@@nuberiffic but that would be so unrealistic for that character to have that mindset less be honest it would be different feels like Cleveland Junior or something like that

[@nuberiffic]

@@Kingmationproductionz yeah, maybe

[@Darticus42]

I've heard so many people say that Seth McFarlane's comedy is "refreshing" because it punchs at every demographic evenly, and I just don't get it. Not really even true at its face, but even if it were evenly it still is obviously not "fair" when you're punching up, down, and sideways. Making minorities and other systemically oppressed individuals the butt of jokes hurts a lot worse than jokes directed at those who aren't, even when in the same proportion. Actually doing that equitably/well requires some really carefully crafted jokes from a diverse crew of writers/directors/producers/actors to always dish out the jokes at the level their targets are at, and respectfully so without stereotypes as a crutch. And when most of said cast are all cis white men who dont make a clear effort to have done their research, it just lands really REALLY badly despite their words or supposed intentions.

[@mikudayoooooo]

i saw a similar comment on another of lily’s videos worded to the effect of ‘kicking everyone in the shin isn’t equal damage/fair game if one of those people already has a broken leg’ and i cant stop thinking about that metaphor

[@guilhermefranco2930]

I really hope Seth isn't s horrible person. He made fat better shows like Orville that is very progressive and the TED show that has very good gay representation Don't know what his views on trans people are now. Ig I just want an excuse to watch media I like without thinking about people involved being bad because i feel like that has been happening left and right

[@dankdreamz]

So first off, I always enjoy your reviews. Second, I haven't had ads on KZbin forever cuz I had premium and this video at the end has an ad for some detransition documentary. I have heard about this and this is the first time I've actually seen one and I'm freaking shocked because so much of the advertisement is convoluted enough that me a transgender woman who loves herself and being transgender didn't know what the heck it was even talking about for the first half and was like what is this? Gosh it's crazy to see how it's playing out in real time.

[@AnAverageGoblin]

imagine paying for an adblock when you can get one for free lmao.

[@Trip_Fontaine]

@@AnAverageGoblin Just fyi, KZbin is cracking down on AdBlock, be careful. They are starting to give people warnings to stop using it, and if you repeatedly ignore those warnings, your account could be banned. I got my first warning last night.

[@Wiggimus]

​@@AnAverageGoblinThere are more perks to Premium than simply just no ads. Like offline KZbin and being able to shut off the screen without stopping the video. The latter of which I do all the time so I can basically treat certain videos like podcasts.

[@AnAverageGoblin]

@@Wiggimus personally i just download the videos I want to watch offline (which are usually ones I have watched anyways) but that second one is a genuine reason, so cool.

[@Genderanarchy]

@@AnAverageGoblindownloading videos and watching them offline is actually a great boost to creators in the algorithm.

[@nihilistichorse9650]

I'm a transwomen and I still have to fight internalized transphobia TV forced into my psyche growing up. Thanks for allowing me to let out some of that inner self hatred and internalized beliefs by giving these shows and episodes the thrashing they deserve. Great vid btw.

[@SirJonathonDanielGregorySrVthe]

Girl you look like you need a hug after that one.

[@t221000]

I used to watch this show when I was younger but I somehow missed this episode and I am so glad that I did. Holy shit they combined homophobia and transphobia at the end and made something so disgusting and hateful. With the racism added too that makes it the worst episode of any Seth McFarlane show.

[@archerinspace]

I remember seeing this episode air around the thanksgiving holiday the year it was released and it just made me sad. Outside of the obvious bad McFarlane jokes like vomiting for way too long and just weird straight man dialogue, it just made me sad they treated Auntie Momma as a joke when it could have been a funny parody of Ms. Doubtfire. All you need to fix that is some kind of flashback scene of Kevin donning this persona and throughout Donna's life, wearing it to be that female role model she needed after such a traumatic event. Graduations, birthdays, her wedding, etc. It didnt have to be transphobic to be funny. It could've just been all a Ms. Doubtfire/Big momma mash up. But he could never make this actually charming and actually funny.

[@hyobro8392]

The family guy trans episode was horrible so im a little bit worried about this being called the "worst" trans episode on the thumbnail 😬

[@MikeOxlongMD]

dude I laughed so hard when Brian couldn't stop vomiting

[@10000_bees]

@@MikeOxlongMD Wow, you are…easily entertained, to say the least

[@makeitthrough_]

​@@MikeOxlongMDWhen Brian turned himself into a pickle I couldn't stop laughing, funniest shit I ever saw

[@Luna5829]

kevin/auntie mama is the embodiment of "still cis tho"

[@TimeKitt]

A possibility for the peeing direction. Warning for medical related stuff. That could be where the tub is. For about two weeks after my orchi between cathider and swelling I couldnt pee sitting down or really aim, so I ended up facing the window a lot doing that, same when passing a kidney stone. I'm sure there are a lot of other reasons for someone to need to do that as well.

[@xavierjohnson2321]

As a black cis man, I never fully understood why this whole episode was terrible outside of Cleveland and Lamar being terrible until know, and I was around 13-14 when this came out. Also, there's a six month difference between A Brown Thanksgiving (November 22nd, 09) and Quagmire's Dad (May 9th, 2010). So I'm not surprised this happened.

[@articunodostres5326]

Kinda hoped there was a twist at the end that Clevelands dad knew she was trans and was okay with it. Make everyone else accepting and leave the transphobia to just Cleveland, and make it a journey for him to overcome that. Itd be cool to see an entire cast pay support to a trans character, and add a layer of depth to the dad character. Love the videos! ❤

[@Pneubeteube]

As for the toilet thing, being a bit of a bigger bodied fella than most, I've noticed that sometimes you can't comfortably line up all the way with a toilet if its right in the corner of a room, or even sit on it without angling your body I imagine if I put on a lot of weight I would have even more trouble then I already do lining up with some toilet situations Fun anecdote: At a shop I used to work at we had male and female single person bathrooms, 1 each, and the male bathroom had a urinal in it. One day when I was using the urinal I noticed that I was standing kind of farther away from it than I should and I realized that the sink-counter was lined up next to the urinal in such a way that one would subconsciously line themselves up with the edge of the counter (as if washing their hands) instead of a little bit closer to the urinal. This explained why there was pretty much always a bit of pee under the urinal, because people were subconsciously setting themselves line 2 inches too far away

[@margaretmadole]

Seth McFarland really went "what do I name the Black person? Well, Black people live in cities, so Cleveland can be the first name, and for the last name... Eh, fuck it, we'll just go with Brown"

[@Dog-999i]

He’s named after the Cleveland Browns Football Team.

[@theeccentric7263]

@@Dog-999ino stop it context makes it less funny

[@V3xxe]

Learned from the JK Rowling school of names

[@HiBuddyyyyyy]

@@V3xxe the names Cho Chang and Kingsley Shacklebolt still make me internally wince when I think about them.

[@thesun5275]

Went to the JKR school of naming minorities.

[@chronostoad3291]

The boondocks did a similar type of episode in where the addressed these characters and they did it so much better. There wasn’t even a hint of transphobia, only the question of hypocrisy and homophobia

[@HmmBearGrr]

Whenever I watch family guy universe shows I like to play a game called “It’s Funny Because They’re ________”. The rules are simple: whenever they pause for laughter, you say why it is funny. It is very easy to do with The Cleveland Show because the joke is usually “It’s funny because they’re Black” or “because they’re racist” or “because they’re fat”.

[@deusexmaximum8930]

"Don't you think it's weird for me, a white person, to be analyzing a predominantly black show?" ...no? Literally who thinks that.

[@duz_machines_8429]

You'd be surprised unfortunately

[@FireGlitch]

Only people with racist mindsets would unironically believe crap like that.

[@hbsupreme1499]

Nobody cares

[@zackary6278]

I found your channel about a week ago, I’ve seen the entire catalogue. I adore your content. I am so happy to learn.

[@audreytucker1842]

I'm a white cis(ish) lesbian, so while the poor representation of a show like the Cleveland show doesn't *directly* impact how I perceive myself and my relationships, my family actively enjoying the cesspool of McFarlane projects was not helpful in any kind of self acceptance. I felt uncomfortable not just within myself, but just in seeing any kind of representation in the wild with them out of fear of some weird, dark joke that might rear its ugly head. Relegating queerness of any kind of a disgusting, abhorrent joke begins to carry outside of just the confines of these jokes into how people perceive real life issues surrounding identities outside of cis/straight/white. While I don't think I directly could have voiced these thoughts at a young age and necessarily directed it at the Seth McFarlane brand of comedy and other contemporaries, commentary media like Lily's makes me fully make these connections and recognize the true privilege I have to not necessarily have to think about these connections all of the time just to exist and feel some kind of representation.

[@shayerahol6434]

This is genuinely disturbing how it treats transness, being black, and black femininity. I'm disappointed.

[@ilostthecat6973]

I always assumed auntie momma was based on the madea series not the big mama series

[@lonesavior]

One of the best descriptions of The Cleveland Show I've heard was that it's a goldfish bowl of filled with everything middle America knows about black people, and every episode they draw another one and write an episode around it.

[@ValleyMansonOfficial]

🤔 I thought "Aunty Mama" was a parody of Tyler Perry's Madea specifically, so I wasn't mad.

[@mzangel0615]

That’s exactly what this episode is supposed to be.

[@jazzyminimomo]

Waiting for the South Park analysis. *That* episode was so trashy, gross, and morally wrong to me even as a "centrist" teenager who loved the show and overlooked a lot of bad takes. I haven't revisited it since. 😬

[@stopaskingmetousemyname]

Southpark would be a project it has at least three episodes specifically focusing on transgender issues and lots of refereences beyond that.

[@magicmike9462]

which episode are you talking about?

[@Captainn4t]

Why is there just an open window straight into the bathroom? That's what I'm stuck on. They don't even know how bathrooms work...

[@rainbowphoenix1363]

I think they may have cut out the T slur in the broadcast because i remember it cutting to black mid vomit at the end

[@godslaughter]

The transphobia in this is just...beyond sickening. I have no words. I'm in physical pain

[@JR_Donofrio]

Lily, would you do a video on the trans representation on Sons of Anarchy? It’s only one character who is trans and she’s a minor character but she’s played by a Cis man in drag. The actor who plays her is named Walton Goggins

[@xXKujaXx]

I'm rewatching SoA right now and I was wanting to suggest this too

[@LyletCook]

Cleveland is also voiced by a white guy. I remember that being controversial. Also might have been a reason I didn't get into the show.

[@Paint_The_Future]

I never saw the cleveland show though i wasn't actively avoiding it. Now I will actively avoid it if it ever comes up.

[@GirlsLoveEmo]

I hate that "trans episodes" usually means "transphobic episodes" :( also, like, is this the person who wrote the Orville? Also, I'm assuming they were trying to acquire or cater to a black audience, so is this what they assume black men would find funny, or did they make this funny to black people, particularly black men, who are so scared of emasculation? Wow, so much to unpack :') great video, I appreciate you!

[@GumSkyloard]

Seth did create The Orville, as well as The Cleveland Show, but I don't think he's written for CS?

[@AbsolXGuardian]

He is the guy who wrote (and started in) the Orville. I've only watched the first season and it's far from perfect, but it's way funnier than any of his animated work

[@samb3209]

I can’t believe he went for the slur 🤦‍♀️ Seth McFarland has no shame

[@that_girl_from_math]

YKnow, after having my gross ex gaslight me about how "topical, political, even in who it punched, and good" seth mcfarlands work was Its been very comforting to hear someone finally speak the truth

[@FrancisR420]

Topical? The show airs like a year after it's written, The topical stuff is some of the worst

[@Foxtail529withluck]

9:04 I'M CRYINGGGGG and why do I wanna try to use the bathroom in the same way 💀

[@steampunk-llama]

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Barney from Dead-End Paranormal Park!! He reminds me a TON of what I was like as a transmasc teen and it’s just genuinely so refreshing to see someone like him as a main character

[@Oliverworldbuilds]

What is it with people being so insanely obsessed with characters vomiting over anything pertaining to a sexual encounter with a trans woman - it's so specific but it's been done SO. MANY. TIMES. All trans bodies are beautiful and valid, and there is nothing wrong with being interested in a trans person or being a trans person and being interested in someone else. Wish it didn't need to be said.

[@apocrypha5363]

15:56 he points at Cleveland's moustache when insulting his butt and then gestures down when insulting his moustache. I sure hope someone got fired for that blunder 😅😊😂

[@jimbothetubby]

I'm really hoping you do the trans/intersex plotline from The Orville. They really read to me as McFarlane trying to apologize for these episodes and genuinely trying to do better, albeit with mixed results especially in season 1. It's not for me to say that they're enough to atone for the Family Guy-era stuff, but by season 3 I found the story genuinely pretty powerful.

[@MikeOxlongMD]

The cartoons are brutal comedy, that make fun of everything, were all these cretins in the comments section expecting a wonderful heartfelt breakdown of trans issues in a family guy episode lol Orville is supposed to be more star trek the next generation, big problems nd the nuances around them

[@BlackLemmy]

I can't wait for your take on The Orville. As a cis person, and even with having watched Jessie Gender's take on it already, I'm still not sure what to think about Trans representation on this show, given McFarlane's past in these animated shows...

[@Here_is_Waldo]

The Orville is very different, and makes me wonder which one MacFarlane had more control over. Perhaps he just grew up over the years?

[@The_one_goblin]

Hey, I’m trans and intersex, and while i obviously don’t speak for everyone, I adore The Orville and it’s representation. The reason I mention that I’m intersex is because the trans story I believe you’re referring to also reminds me of how parents and doctors will “fix” intersex children at birth, when the child cannot consent to this procedure. Sometimes doctors even do it without asking parents. To me, Topa‘s story is beautiful and I can’t help but relate to her (more on a general level honestly, seeing as I’m transmasc not transfem).

[@BlackLemmy]

@@The_one_goblin Thank you for your input :) I guess the only thing that was unclear for me is how it can be interpreted as "forced transition" and "detransitioning", but your pov helps me have another view on it.

[@ruininomiya7785]

​@exactly_one_goblin for me personally the fact there is a very similiar scenario irl but they didn't mention it in the show was pretty frustrating, especially since they would often go "ah well in the past on earth we used to do that, societies learn with time" and left me with mixed feelings on the whole storyline. (had a similiar problem with the zoo story bc like... human zoos were a thing yet they only mentioned animal zoos on earth. why.) certainly feels like one with more thought and empathy behind it but there's always the question in the back of my head of "but does he really get it?" its certainly a step forward tho and in some ways it resonated with me there just was also a lot of "huh that sure was a choice"

[@PureStealth]

@@The_one_goblin yeah they're more intersex episodes than trans episodes really. Touches way more on intersex issues such as non consensual "corrective" surgery than trans topics specifically. Would still love lilly to cover it anyway!

[@Wyrd__One]

Ik we’re supposed to buy certain aspects in cartoon world as absurdist but I’ve never understood the logistics of this. Either Donna was a severely inattentive child or Auntie Mama was around longer than she let on bc 6 is way too old to just not remember your sole caregiver suddenly changing. I’m not even going to tackle the legal name stuff that would have the name “Kevin” on it. This entire show felt like Seth McFarlane’s elaborate way of saying “I’m not racist!” as a white actor voices the show’s lead. Good video! It was interesting coming back to this show.

[@onijester56]

Seth will declare to those jokes that it's "anti-humor". However, the target audience suggests that the intention is for the teens hearing the jokes to not be aware of the cringe implicit to or included in the jokes. That specific "Bald Pussy" quip is probably the first time a teen had heard that phrase, and almost certainly within a couple weeks of them having learned that "pussy" sometimes is used to refer to someone's vagina.

[@beanie2571]

if seth mcfarlane has no haters i am dead

[@ratpatterson8953]

I love your videos

[@Tommedian]

Did Donna’s parents not question the fact that a sister neither of them have just showed up one day?

[@xanlee]

just wanna say thanks for the emetophobia warning. as soon as that was brought up, i was on high alert, so it's always nice to know that somebody will give warnings and i don't have to be on alert here, because i've seen so many content creators that don't give warnings and thus i never watch them again for fear of it being sprung on me out of nowhere.

[@zero7649]

Man, I am so so glad I didn't get to watch tv shows like this as a young teen. It would have set me back so many years in terms of my identity.

[@blackmail2459]

I think if the whiteboard message would change every so often between cuts it’d provide a bit of humor. maybe not every cut, just whenever convenient or something. Also great stuff!

[@Dog-999i]

I’m impressed with how much effort you put into researching the toilet bit.

[@tabsterg]

this episode is just a hate crime god damn

[@sit-insforsithis1568]

Womp womp

[@tabsterg]

No shot you went into this content and scavenged down to a 3 likes comment to go womp womp brother womp womp to your life 💀

[@Jessy-from-Montana]

As convoluted as it is, the show does confirm that Auntie-Mama lives and identifies as a woman in all situations except for this specific encounter with Cleveland. So I would consider her to be a genuine trans character, or at least gender fluid because she does appear as a woman in later episodes, specifically in situations where she/they wouldn't reasonably ever have to worry about Donna finding out

[@Pigpen_YT]

I never thought there'd be a day where a video titled, "The Trans Cleveland Show Episode" would exist

[@soymilkman]

man that ending felt plain cruel. there isn't any plausable-deniability with that t-slur at the end either

[@raven_g6667]

Anyone not familiar with this particular Family Guy lore, Cleveland was actually voiced by a white dude for like 8 seasons of the show.

[@BlackAutMedia]

I'm pretty versed on most of the Black queer side of things. Another aspect important to the minstrel performance of Black women is the colorism in specifically and overwhelmingly portraying dark-skinned Black women. It's a form of cishet Black men gaining access to power and fame by using their masculinity to portray a caricature of what bigots believe of Black women--that they're mannish, undesirable, disgusting, and worthless. That's why the large bulk of these are done by dark skinned, Black male actors. there's an entire history from Flip Wilson, Wanda from in Living Color, Tyler Perry, Dave Chapelle, and so on. But I think also important is the way this practice is derided by other cishets as them thinking it's bad because it "emasculates Black men" but most of the ones speaking out against it only refuse it on the grounds that they don't want to be perceived as a queer person in their minstrelsy of Black women. The great irony though is that it's because they're so masculine that nobody will ever see them as queer because the whole point of the performance is to mock Black women, cis and trans because they're viewed as so inherently disgusting and undesirable by the people making the work. The Boondocks made fun of the practice, but still does so in a way that reinforces that interplay of queerphobia and misogynoir in how it turns Tyler Perry into a predatory queer man trying to deceive the protagonist into having sex with him. A lot of 2010s media mocking Tyler Perry and his films also used it as a medium to perceive him as a queer man and mock him on those grounds rather than deconstructing the bigotry in the use of crossdressing at the expense of numerous oppressed people. A lot of that then translated by a bunch of white guys makes the Cleveland Show by far one of the most disgusting portrayals. Minstrelsy never died out, it just evolved and changed in how it looks and who performs it.

[@AmonDevilman]

Not the worst animated adult comedy only because Brickleberry exists.

[@Kintsugi23]

Allen Gregory

[@yasin_GD]

There are many more worse

[@TheProxy066]

I've never seen that show before, but I looked it up and it's so damn ugly. I don't understand why most adult animated show have to look so cheap and ugly.

[@AmonDevilman]

@@yasin_GD Bordertown was pretty awful. Paradise PD maybe but it's basically Brickleberry.

[@limediamond4595]

Don’t forget Paradise PD and FarZar

[@dandylion8875]

You've a strong stomach for this line of work, Lily. Much respect.

[@kellodrawsalotkello7058]

it always confuses me to see progressive people defending and liking Seth's shows or oturight imply that they are pro trans, when Seth himself has not only defended the anti trans jokes on his shows. He himself sees transwomen and gay men as the same thing and he stated he would ''throw up too'' if he found out he had sex with a transwoman. Yeah such a good ally that is.

[@Drakewhobesilent]

Honestly, as a cishet guy , I don’t see how having sex with another man would the worst thing ever as family guy Portrays it

[@ElodieCunningham]

I had wiped auntie mama out of my mind until I saw that thumbnail

[@uemochi9316]

Seth likes to posture that he supports LGBT rights but his cartoons are some of the most LGBTphobic animated sitcoms on TV today

[@EmilyTheMedic]

That’s honestly nothing surprising: corporations always claim they’re supporting of the LGBTQ, but really, all they do is put some colours on their logo to make you feel that you can trust them.

[@SanjayMerchant]

Gods, I wanted so badly for a twist at the end where Levar knew full well what Auntie Mama's deal was and was fine with it. A last minute reframing of Cleveland's behavior as "no, you were actually the asshole here." I knew it wasn't coming, because I guess Seth saw Ace Ventura in college or whatever and thought puking over a transwoman was the pinnacle of comedy, so he keeps finding opportunities to retell that joke (which was a hack joke to begin with, and is only just hack and old by the time he put it into his animated shows), but I still dared to hope the episode might surprise me just a little. (I'm not saying it would've saved this episode from the "yikes" category, but some last minute attempt to pull out of the nosedive would've been a silver lining, at least.)

[@YumLemmingKebabs]

Jesus Christ. It seems like Seth's views on trans people have changed A LOT without him ever really addressing the damage he's done in the past. Which I mean, I guess that's better than if they didn't change, but holy shit. Kinda feels like he could be a prime example for anyone wanting to talk about the privileges of being a cishet white man in the entertainment industry. Like, I doubt he's ever actively tried to harm anyone, but his ignorance combined with his power is just going to cause harm no matter what.

[@SailorLarkspur]

This was a rough one 😥 thanks for doing the hard work Lily

[@0_Cardboard_0]

9:00 animating characters sideways is too hard for them :(

[@limediamond4595]

Lily trying to figure out how the toilet position works is so funny for no reason

[@Ranixo286]

I first ust saw the one clip where Cleveland gropes "Auntie" and I thought aside from the groping it wasn't gonna be that bad. It seemed like Auntie had a good heart and genuinely cared for Donna and Cleveland understood that. But I guess it just shits the bed with everything else.

[@laurenalexander4438]

I actually like early Family Guy. The first three seasons before it got cancelled. That show was pretty good. Then when it came back, it was a lot more gross and a lot more mean spirited. I hated all the shows he did after that.

[@BrazenScull]

When Family Guy returned from cancellation, it returned as an entirely different show. And now, when people ask me if I like Family Guy, they absolutely will not get a straight answer. I hate what became of that show.