‘Seinfeld’ star says ‘very religious’ parents weren’t fans of his work, thought it was ‘blasphemy’
Patrick Warburton's work on "Seinfeld" and "Family Guy" won him a following of fans all over the world, but the actor's devoutly Catholic parents were not among them.
The 60-year-old actor played the beloved David Puddy on the '90s sitcom "Seinfeld," and the actor has voiced paraplegic cop Joe Swanson on Seth McFarlane's "Family Guy" since 1999. However, Warburton admitted his parents, John and Barbara Warburton, were not supportive of their son playing either character.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Warburton explained that John and Barbara always had a particularly strong dislike of "Family Guy."
"They don't see it as satire. They see it as blasphemy," Warburton said. "So, it was just a conversation that we were never really able to have. We never saw eye to eye on it. But, yeah, they always hated that show."
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Warburton noted that his parents harbored moral objections to the animated series because they were "very religious." The actor recalled that John was a member of the Catholic monastery, the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Bardstown, Kentucky, where his spiritual advisor was Thomas Merton, who Warburton described as "one of the most famous Catholic scholars of our day."
John, who died in 2018, spent three months at the monastery and almost became a monk before he decided to pursue a career in medicine.
According to Warburton, Barbara shared her husband's strict adherence to their Catholic faith and vehement disapproval of their son's most popular shows.
"If Mom could possibly be worse than Dad, she is, yes," Warburton joked.
Warburton previously shared that Barbara actively tried to have "Family Guy" taken off the air despite her son's starring role in the series. In an April 2024 interview with People magazine at a PaleyFest event marking the 25th anniversary of "Family Guy," Warburton recalled, "My mother belonged to the American Television Council, and they were trying to get the show canceled."
"I was helping support my parents with ‘Family Guy’ money," he added. "She tried to get me to sign the petition [to cancel the show]. I said, ‘Mom, if you don’t think I’m going to talk about this publicly, this is the greatest irony. You’re laundering money. You’re laundering it to yourself.’ They hate it more today."
Warburton's parents also disapproved of his involvement in "Seinfeld" due to their religious beliefs. During a November 2024 appearance on the "Howie Mandel Does Stuff" podcast, Warburton recalled making his television debut as Jerry's car mechanic Puddy in the 1995 episode of "Seinfeld" titled "The Fusilli Jerry."
In the episode, Jerry Seinfeld, who played himself, becomes irked when he discovers Puddy "stole" one of his sex moves to use on Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). After the episode aired, Warburton remembered receiving a "six-page letter from my father about how disappointed he was and the choices I was making."
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"So, they had an issue with not dealing with the sex act with any sanctity," Warburton explained. "Because as we all know, the sex act is full of sanctity — it's all about procreating and nothing else."
Though Puddy was originally only intended to be featured in one episode, he became an instant fan favorite and a recurring character as Elaine's on-and-off boyfriend throughout the show's run until it concluded in 1998.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Warburton recalled that Barbara's religious conviction led to another attempt to interfere with her son's work.
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"I remember back in the day when we lived in Woodland Hills, my mom and dad came to visit. And we were in the kitchen, and my mom says, ‘Are you going to work on Seinfeld today?' And I said, ’I am, as a matter of fact.' And she said, ‘I have this dynamic videotape that has converted a lot of my Jewish friends. If I gave it to you, would you give it to Jerry?’" Warburton recalled with a laugh.
"So, I just stood there — hang jaw," he continued. "Dad actually piped in and said, ‘Barbara, leave well enough alone.’ So, at least he still had that common sense about him. Mother never really cared."
Warburton explained that his mother didn't easily give up on her goal of converting Seinfeld to Catholicism.
"Years later, Jerry was performing [stand-up] in Pensacola, Florida," Warburton recalled. "And mom and dad wanted to go. And I go, 'I'll hook you up.' So, I call up Jerry, get them a couple tickets. So, I talked to my mom after the show, and I go, ‘Did you enjoy Jerry? And she goes, ’He was wonderful. I even wrote him a lovely thank-you letter.'
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"And, at that point, that's when the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I go, 'You probably didn't just leave a letter, did you, Mom? You probably left a DVD.' And she goes, ‘I did,'" Warburton continued. "I go, ‘Do you know how disrespectful that is?’ And she said, 'I only answer to one person, the Lord above. So, that's how they operate. That's how Mom operates."
Warburton told Fox News Digital he brought up his mother's unexpected gift when he later ran into Seinfeld in New York.
"We had a laugh, but yeah, I'm sure he didn't watch it," he recalled.
"He hasn't converted yet, as far as I know."
Though Warburton previously has described himself as a "bad Catholic," the actor told Fox News Digital he has "absolutely" had instances in which he felt uncomfortable with the content in some of his work due to his faith.
"Catholic guilt runs deep," he ackowledged. "But I believe that God has a sense of humor."