Adam West on his Family Guy role

Was he in on the joke?

Adam West is Batman. Unless Batman takes off his cowl, and then Adam West is Bruce Wayne. 

But, when he's not stopping crime in Gotham, Adam West is also a whole lot of other things. He's a veteran of the television Western, having guest starred in Bonanza, The Rifleman, Gunsmoke, and many more. But, West's wild skills weren't exclusive to the Wild West. He was in countless other shows, like Perry Mason, Petticoat Junction, and Pacific Blue. And those are just the P's!

For an entire generation who was too young for Batman, Adam West lives in infamy as the hilarious Mayor of Quahog on Family Guy, the sometimes-controversial adult-oriented animated series from Seth MacFarlane.

For those of us wondering whether or not West was totally in on the joke, the actor spoke with The Atlanta Constitution to help clear the air. He lent not only his voice but also his name to the show. Sometimes, the show seemed like it was laughing at Adam West more than it was laughing with him. 

"I think I've always had that kind of self-assessment that what I do isn't really that important. When Family Guy came along, I said yes."

Flattery, it seemed, was the key to getting Mr. Adam West onboard with the show. 

"I knew Seth (MacFarlane) had written the pilot for me, and I welcomed the chance to create a character with my name that was making fun of myself...to use my quirkier aspects and some of my more absurd thinking in the character. Yes, it's worked. I don't mind making fun of myself. I think more people should have that kind of sense of humor."

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10 Comments

VBartilucci 7 months ago
Seth first worked with Adam on an equally self-parodying role on Johnny Bravo, creatively titled "Johnny Bravo Meets Adam West!" So he already got Seth's humor.

Adam got to do so many voice jobs after that, including Dog Zero, leader of the (Secret files of the ) Spy Dogs.
Runeshaper 7 months ago
Adam West was a good sport! Loved him as Batman!
daDoctah 7 months ago
West may have been the first of the square-jawed, he-man actors to embrace the implied lunkheadedness that their usual roles called for them to project. Don't know if the likes of Buster Crabbe or Johnny Weismuller had the kind of fun he had poking fun at his own image, but following him we got that kind of silliness from Larry Pennell and more recently Bruce Campbell.
Andybandit 7 months ago
Adam West was a very handsome guy.
daDoctah 7 months ago
Notice in those last four paragraphs how they keep phrasing it to hint that he wasn't playing himself on "Family Guy", but some guy who just happened to have his name, his face and his voice. I've always love that detail.
Rick 7 months ago
He was on more episodes of "Family Guy" than "Batman."

He got the joke and we all respect and salute him.
LoveMETV22 7 months ago
Always enjoy hearing Adam West in animated roles. He did an interview with the
Television Academy Foundation on his voiceover roles including "Family Guy."
Bapa1 LoveMETV22 7 months ago
He did a great one in Batman: The Animated Series.
Bapa1 7 months ago
He was funny on that show.
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