'Family Guy' phasing out gay jokes

It was a joke on the show, but now Family Guy producers say they aren't joking.

Sunday night's episode of the Fox animated series was all about skewering President Donald Trump.

In the show, the main character, dad Peter Griffin, chronicles his time as Trump's latest press secretary.

But tucked among the sight gags and Trump criticism was Griffin telling the leader of the free world that Family Guy is "trying to phase out" gay jokes.

Executive producers Alec Sulkin and Rich Appel told TVLine there's some truth to that.

"If you look at a show from 2005 or 2006 and put it side by side with a show from 2018 or 2019, they're going to have a few differences," Sulkin said. "Some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable."

Appel noted that the culture has changed since the Seth MacFarlane-created series debuted in 1999.

He said that far from "us reacting and thinking, 'They won't let us (say certain things)' " the show has changed as well.

"The climate is different, the culture is different and our views are different," Appel said. "They've been shaped by the reality around us, so I think the show has to shift and evolve in a lot of different ways."

By Lisa Respers France, CNN. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

The Gayly – January 15, 2019 @ 7:20 a.m. CST.