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Family Guy killed off one of the show's iconic characters and confirmed this week that the mainstay character's 23-season run has finally come to an end.
Ernie the Giant Chicken made his first appearance 25 years ago in the debut season of the adult comedy series, and recently he made his last appearance.
Although the scene — in which Ernie was brutally murdered and decapitated — aired back in March, it wasn't until this week that executive producer Alec Sulkin confirmed the character is gone for good.
'I think that the chicken has gone the way of all flesh,' he said in a TVLine interview, which was published last Thursday.
'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,' the producer continued.
This comes after longtime viewers and fans of the show dug up the 'lost' pilot episode from over two decades ago.
Family Guy killed off one of the show's iconic characters and confirmed this week that the mainstay character's 23-season run is finally over
'It's a lot to ask of our production crew, and we may have just gotten the best out of that character.'
Family Guy has previously brought certain characters back to life, but Sulkin said that they would not be reviving Ernie the chicken in the future.
Ernie the Giant Chicken, who was voiced by Danny Smith, had been in a longtime feud with Peter Griffin, who is voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane, since he made his first appearance in the finale of the very first season.
He met his end when he was brutally killed by Peter's daughter Meg, who is voiced by Mila Kunis, in the season 23 episode titled: The Chicken or the Meg.
Meg had started dating Ernie's son Nugget but was given an ultimatum by the rooster because of his longstanding rivalry with Peter.
Ernie told Meg that if she wanted him to accept his and Nugget's relationship, she had to turn against her father.
In response, she decapitated Ernie and threw the patriarch's severed head on the family's front lawn.
After it was confirmed that Ernie's character had no chance of returning by executive producers, many fans took to social media to share their mixed reactions.
Ernie the Giant Chicken made his first appearance 25 years ago in the debut season of the adult comedy series and recently made his last one
Although the scene aired back in March, it wasn't until this week that executive producer Alec Sulkin confirmed the character is gone for good
He met his end when he was brutally killed by Peter's daughter Meg, who is voiced by Mila Kunis, in the season 23 episode titled: The Chicken or the Meg
Family Guy has previously brought certain characters back to life, but the executive producer said that they would not be reviving Ernie the chicken in the future
Many were shocked at the 'random' way in which his character was killed off and how his and Peter's decades-long feud ultimately ended by Meg's hands.
It was an unsuspecting ending by an unsuspecting character, some said.
Others tweeted that they were not surprised their least favorite character, Meg, had ruined the long-running gag.
'OH MY GOD NOOOOO, who will rival Peter now,' one Family Guy fan tweeted on X, formerly Twitter. 'Bring him backk!'
'There's no way they actually ended that storyline,' another fan wrote on social media.
'The chicken's been fighting Peter longer than some of us have been alive. Meg taking him out is the most random, poetic and disrespectful ending imaginable.'
Some fans were in disbelief that Ernie would not return in the future.
'They're horribly inconsistent anyways,' one viewer said about the creator and producers before pointing out details from past episodes.
Ernie the Giant Chicken, who is voiced by Danny Smith, had been in a longtime feud with Peter Griffin, who is voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane, since he made his first appearance in the finale of the very first season
Meg had started dating Ernie's son Nugget but was given an ultimatum by the rooster because of his longstanding rivalry with Peter. In response, she decapitated Ernie and threw the patriarch's severed head on the family's front lawn
Many were shocked at the 'random' way in which his character was killed off and how his and Peter's decades-long feud ultimately ended by Meg's hands
It was an unsuspecting ending by an unsuspecting character, some said
Others tweeted that they were not surprised their least favorite character, Meg, had ruined the long-running gag
'His wife left him and yet in this same episode she's with him still. Also Brian died and then came back, so yeah. They're probably going to bring him back instantly.'
One fan joked that he could return in another form. 'But what if he comes back as some sort of...Robot Chicken!'
A social media user wrote: 'That whole back-and-forth between Peter and that feisty fowl was one of the show's most beloved running gags, even if folks sometimes got tired of it.'
Thousands of fans liked and retweeted one fan's account with the username @WeWantErnieBack.
The tweet read that the character died earlier this year and asked fellow fans to show support if they wanted Ernie to be revived and to return to the show.
Some fans said the gag was 'tiring' while others looked at it as ending an iconic streak too soon.
'20 years of beef undone by the worst character on the show smh,' a viewer tweeted.
One fan did not even know the character was killed off. 'Yo I had no idea he f***ing died. Who will fight Peter now?'
'OH MY GOD NOOOOO, who will rival Peter now,' one Family Guy fan tweeted on X, formerly Twitter. 'Bring him backk!'
After it was confirmed that Ernie's character had no chance of returning by executive producers, many fans took to social media to share their mixed reactions
Some fans were in disbelief that Ernie would not return in the future. 'They're horribly inconsistent anyways,' one viewer said about the creator and producers before pointing out details from past episodes
One fan joked that he could return in another form. 'But what if he comes back as some sort of...Robot Chicken!'
'There's no way they actually ended that storyline,' another fan wrote on social media. 'The chicken's been fighting Peter longer than some of us have been alive. Meg taking him out is the most random, poetic and disrespectful ending imaginable'
A social media user wrote: 'That whole back-and-forth between Peter and that feisty fowl was one of the show's most beloved running gags, even if folks sometimes got tired of it'
Thousands of fans liked and retweeted one fan's account with the username @WeWantErnieBack. The tweet read that the character died earlier this year and asked fellow fans to show support if they wanted Ernie to be revived and to return to the show
Some fans said the gag was 'tiring' while others looked at it as ending an iconic streak too soon. '20 years of beef undone by the worst character on the show smh,' a viewer tweeted
One fan did not even know the character was killed off. 'Yo I had no idea he f***ing died. Who will fight Peter now?'
Family Guy will return in 2026 with its 24th season, and previous seasons are currently available to stream on Hulu.
Meanwhile, on Monday, a Halloween special premiered. The episode titled A Little Fright Music followed Stewie and Brian's mission to write a Halloween song.
The episode also featured Lois' haunting revenge prank on Peter after she caught him lying.
In April, Family Guy was renewed for four more seasons, all the way through the 27th.
Fox also simultaneously renewed Bob's Burgers, The Simpsons and American Dad for four more seasons each.
