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What Is The 'Peter Is Going Insane' Theory? TikTok's 'Family Guy' Creepypasta Meme Explained
Content Warning: Portions of this explainer make mention of suicide, which some may find difficult or upsetting. If you need support or are dealing with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's website or call 1-800-273-8255.
There's a new creepypasta fan theory going viral on TikTok and it's changing the way some Family Guy fans look at the show. The surprisingly dark theory is called "Peter Is Going Insane," and it's recently blown up after being posted to Reddit a decade ago. Here's what it's all about.
@andysterl Gives me chills to this day… #familyguycreepypasta #familyguy ♬ original sound – FamilyGuy.Conspiracy.theories
What Is The 'Peter Is Going Insane' Theory?
In August 2012, Redditor bblank0308 posted a fan theory to /r/fantheories offering a possible answer as to why so many zany and impossible hijinks can happen in Family Guy with no consequences. No, the answer is not "it's a cartoon." Instead, the Redditor theorizes that the events of the show are all in Peter Griffin's head, who is going more and more insane throughout the series due to the deaths of his entire family.
The theory claims that before Peter went insane, his daughter Meg Griffin was a beautiful, beloved girl. Chris Griffin was born mentally handicapped due to a lack of oxygen during birth. One night, Meg took Chris to a party and tried to drive them home drunk, killing them both in an accident. Peter's wife Lois committed suicide while pregnant with Stewie due to the grief, leaving Peter alone. The deaths of his family drove Peter to insanity and the increasingly absurd plots we see play out in Family Guy are all in his mind.
According to the theory, Peter treats Meg poorly in the show because he resents her for getting everyone killed. Stewie is portrayed as a genius because Peter had high expectations for him. Joe and Quagmire are his real friends and their appearances happen when they visit Peter in the mental hospital, with Cleveland eventually having to stop visiting Peter because he starts to go insane himself, resulting in Peter imagining the entirety of The Cleveland Show.
It's a wild theory that takes a little bit of stretching for some people to buy into, but clearly it's having an effect on some TikTokers, including user @andysterl, who posted a video earlier this month sharing the theory and gained over 4.9 million views for it, sparking a trend.
How Is 'Peter Is Going Insane' Used In Memes?
After @andysterl posted his video to TikTok, other TikTokers followed suit and started posting their own videos telling others to look it up and calling it one of the scariest theories about Family Guy ever. Others were a little more critical, calling the theory weak or basic and citing a lack of evidence pointing toward it in the show. Of course, opinions are subjective, so many people have been flocking to Google to check out the theory for themselves and share their takes on TikTok.
@andysterl This shit fucked me up when I first read about it #familyguy #creepy ♬ Transgender – Crystal Castles
@trentallen90 #stitch with @andysterl What a letdown. #familyguy #petergoesinsane #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #comedy #lol #scary #horror #creepypasta #theories #wednesday #wednesdaydance #horrortok ♬ original sound – Trent Allen
For the full details on the ""Peter Is Going Insane" theory":https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/peter-is-going-insane-theory-family-guy, be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for even more information.
