Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we're zoning
in on someone who's been, well, a key player
behind the scenes in American comedy for, what,
over two decades now? Absolutely. A real architect,
you could say. We're talking about Alex Sulkin.
Right. Alex Sulkin. Yeah. And his influence is,
I mean, it's deeply woven into the fabric of
modern animated comedy, especially everything
surrounding Seth MacFarlane. That's a great way
to put it. The McFarlane verse. Well, maybe you
don't know the name Alex Silken off the top of
your head when you're watching Family Guy or,
you know, heading out to see big summer comedy.
His fingerprints are all over it. He's been a
core engineer of that very specific, often controversial,
but undeniably successful style of humor. So
our mission today, looking at all this material
we've gathered, is to really get under the hood.
We want to map out his career path, understand
how he got from point A to point B. Yeah, how
does someone go from the pressure cooker of late
night writing to basically running one of the
biggest animated shows ever? And at the same
time, translating that family guy sensibility
into blockbuster movies. It's quite a trajectory.
It really is. And we also have to tackle this
this kind of split in his public image. Exactly.
That's crucial here because the sources show
this massive success story. On one hand. leadership,
creative influence, longevity. But on the other
hand. But on the other, his own public comments,
specifically on social media, sparked, well,
a huge international controversy. So we're going
to unpack all of that, the creative triumphs,
the public persona, the controversies and how
it all fits together or maybe doesn't quite fit
together. Yeah. How do those things coexist?
And, you know, what does it tell us about his
career and maybe the industry itself? OK, let's
dove in. Where do we start? The beginning, I
guess. The foundation. Makes sense. Let's start
with the basics. Alexander Matthew Sulkin, born
February 14th, 1973. He went to Connecticut College.
Okay. Standard enough background. But the real
launch pad, according to our sources, was his
first big writing gig. Right. The Late Late Show
with Craig Kilbourne. And importantly, he was
there for the first three years of the show.
That feels significant. Why is that particular
show at that particular time such a key starting
point? Well, think about late night back then,
late 90s. It's basically comedy boot camp. Right.
High pressure. Extremely high pressure. You're
churning out jokes constantly. Topical stuff
has to land tonight. It's relentless. You learn
to be fast, versatile, and you learn to kill
your darlings. You know, jokes that don't work.
gone so it drills those fundamental joke writing
muscles the speed the punchline focus exactly
skills that would be absolutely essential for
the kind of rapid fire cutaway heavy style a
family guy he learned structure pacing just the
grind of finding the laugh day in day out okay
that makes a lot of sense he got that network
tv grounding before jumping into animation but
the sources really highlight how he got that
job in the first place it wasn't just applying
cold was it No, not at all. And this is like
the key connection that unlocks everything else.
He was recommended for the Late Late Show job
by Wellesley Wild. Wellesley Wild. Now, that's
a name people might recognize, especially if
they follow a family guy or the Ted movies. They
absolutely should, because that recommendation,
that connection, it's the bedrock of Sulkin's
entire professional life, really. It's the start
of this decades -long writing partnership. It
is. Wellesley Wilde became his go -to collaborator.
That relationship is the engine behind so much
of his success. It's a classic Hollywood example,
isn't it? Building an empire on a trusted inner
circle. Yeah, McFarlane clearly relied on this
core group. group, Sulkin and Wild, being right
at the center. Totally. They became indispensable
to that whole operation. And that trust, built
early on, paved the way for the next big step,
animation. The sources mention he worked on The
Cleveland Show, too, which kept him in that McFarlane
orbit. Part of the ecosystem. And then the main
event, joining Family Guy, officially in 2005.
And that's where things really take off. Right.
Now we're getting into the heart of it. Section
two. His role in building the Family Guy empire.
Since 2005, he's been doing, well, pretty much
everything there. He wasn't just writing scripts.
No, far from it. He's listed as a producer, a
writer, obviously, but he even does voice acting
for some recurring characters. It shows just
how integrated he became in the show's DNA, top
to bottom. And looking at the list of episodes
he's credited on. Yeah. It's not just the length
of time he was there. It's the kind of episodes
he seems to have been involved in some really
significant ones. Yeah. Let's dig into some of
those because they really illustrate his range
and influence. You absolutely have to start with
the Star Wars parody. He wrote the first part,
Blue Harvest. Which was a huge deal at the time,
right? An hour -long special. Massive. Think
about it, 2007. Handing a writer the reins for
an hour -long parody of Star Wars, that's enormous
trust from McFarlane and the studio. Both creatively
and financially, I imagine. Absolutely. Blue
Harvest wasn't just another episode. It needed
complex writing to nail the parody and the family
guy humor, plus all the production coordination,
the music. It was almost like making a mini -movie.
And it worked. It became iconic for the show.
It totally did. It proved Vanley Guy could pull
off these huge, ambitious, high -concept swings.
It showed Sulkin could handle that scale. But
he wasn't just doing the big event episodes.
His name is also on episodes that feel like classic
Family Guy absurdity, like chick cancer or steroids.
Right. And those show his mastery of the show's
bread and butter. Take a kind of outlandish premise,
Stewie on steroids, Lois getting cancer, which
sounds dark, but they spin it for comedy, and
build a typically irreverent half hour around
it. So he could do the core show formula just
as well as the big specials. Exactly. But then
you also see things like Stu and Stewie's Excellent
Adventure, which gets into time travel, more
complex plotting. He showed versatility there,
too. Interesting. And then there's an episode
that, well, it definitely sparked some debate.
Screams of Silence, the story of Brenda Q. Ah,
yes. that one's fascinating tackling domestic
violence focusing on quagmire's sister brenda
that feels like a huge tonal shift for family
guy yeah it absolutely was for a show built on
shock value and let's be honest often making
light of serious topics to suddenly pivot to
something so heavy so grounded it was a massive
risk What does him writing that tell us? It tells
us he was willing or maybe the show running team
at the time was willing to push the show into
really unexpected territory using that huge platform
for something dramatic, almost like a totally
different kind of show. How did people react
to that episode? Was it seen as a successful
experiment? It was really divisive. Some critics
and fans praised the attempt to address a serious
issue. Others felt it was jarring, like it betrayed
what Family Guy was supposed to be. Right, that
tonal whiplash. Exactly. But whether you liked
it or not, it shows Sulkin was part of making
bold, maybe even controversial creative choices
within the show itself, not just, you know, writing
standard jokes. He wasn't afraid to experiment
with the format. And that experimentation extends
to things like the Viewer Mail episodes too,
right? Yeah. He co -wrote the second one. Yeah,
those anthology episodes require a different
skill set, juggling multiple stories, different
tones, all within 22 minutes. He could handle
that, too. The sources also list episodes like
Into Fat Air, kind of an adventure parody, Grim
Job, Doing Fairy Tales, Three Acts of God. It's
just a remarkably consistent output over such
a long stretch. Consistency and versatility.
That's the takeaway. He wasn't just a one trick
pony. He could handle parody, adventure, character
stories, even heavy drama, all within the family
guy voice for over a decade. Which leads us to
the big so what moment in his animation career.
The power shift. Precisely. All that work, all
that demonstrated expertise, it culminated in
a major promotion. Starting with season 16, Alex
Sulkin, along with Richard Apple, became the
new showrunners for Family Guy. And showrunner
isn't just a fancy title, is it? It's a fundamental
shift in responsibility. Oh, it's huge. We need
to be clear what that means. A showrunner, especially
on a long -running hit like Family Guy, is basically
the CEO of that show. You're overseeing everything,
the writer's room, the animation pipeline, the
budgets, the actors, keeping the brand consistent,
keeping it funny after, what, nearly 20 years
on air by that point? It's an immense job. So
MacFarlane essentially trusted him, along with
Appel, to steer the ship. To run this incredibly
valuable property. Exactly. It's the ultimate
vote of confidence. He went from being a key
writer and producer to being one of the top executives
responsible for the entire creative direction
and, frankly, the continued profitability of
a flagship show for Fox, now Disney. A massive
transition. But his story wasn't just contained
within Quahog, was it? While he was building
this empire in animation, he was also making
significant moves elsewhere. That's right. Section
three, expanding beyond animation. And this brings
us back to that crucial partnership with Wellesley
Wild. Because their success on Family Guy opened
other doors, big doors. Very big doors. Their
collaboration was so effective that studios started
investing in them as a team. In August 2010,
Sulkin and Wild signed a big three -year overall
deal with 20th Century Fox TV. OK, break down
what an overall pact means for listeners who
might not know the industry jargon. Sure. An
overall deal is basically the studio saying,
we believe in you guys so much, we're going to
pay you a hefty salary for the next few years,
and in return, we get the first look at anything
you create. So the studio is betting on their
future outbound. Exactly. They're betting millions
that this duo, Sulcan and Wild, can generate
new hits, potentially beyond animation. It's
a signal that they've moved up from being staff
writers to being seen as major creative players,
potential show creators. in their own right.
And that bet paid off pretty quickly and pretty
spectacularly with the move into feature films.
It sure did. The big one, of course, was Ted
in 2012. Salkin co -wrote the script with McFarlane
and Wilde. And Ted was huge. Not just financially,
but it felt like a moment. It absolutely was.
It proved that the specific comedic sensibility
that honed on Family Guy, that edgy pop culture
savvy kind of juvenile boundary pushing humor
could translate to a live action movie and find
a massive mainstream audience. It showed the
McFarlane verse wasn't just an animation thing.
Precisely. It cemented McFarlane, Wilde, and
Sulkin as a bankable movie writing team. And
naturally, they followed it up by co -writing
the sequel, Ted 2, in 2015. They didn't just
stick to talking teddy bears, though. They tried
other genres, too, right? Like the Western? Yeah.
A Million Ways to Die in the West in 2014. Same
writing team, McFarlane, Wilde, and Sulkin. Applying
that same comedic lens to a very different genre.
Right. Trying to do for the Western what Ted
did for, I guess, the buddy. It wasn't as big
a hit as Ted, critically or commercially. But
the fact that the studio gave them the resources
to make a Western comedy shows just how much
faith they had in that team's brand at the time.
But it wasn't all smooth sailing in the live
action world. There was also the sitcom attempt.
Ah, yes. Dads. This is an important counterpoint
to the Ted success story. This was 2013. Salkin
and Wilde produced it. McFarling was an executive
producer. It seemed like it had all the right
ingredients. On paper, yes. The core creative
team behind Family Guy and Ted doing a traditional
multi -camera sitcom for Fox. You'd think it
would be a slam dunk. But it wasn't. No, it was
canceled after just one season. what does that
tell us well it's a really stark reminder that
success in one medium doesn't automatically transfer
to another Animation is different from film,
and both are very different from network sitcoms.
Different rhythms, different audience expectations.
Totally different. And the broadcast network
environment is notoriously tough. Maybe their
specific style, which works so well in animation
and R -rated films, just didn't quite fit the
constraints or demands of a primetime network
sitcom. It shows even this powerhouse team wasn't
immune to failure. A good reality check. Okay,
one more feather in their collective cap before
we move on. The Oscars. Right. When Seth MacFarlane
hosted the 85th Academy Awards, who did he bring
along to help write jokes? Let me guess. Sulkin.
Sulkin, indeed. Along with Wellesley Wilde and
a bunch of other Family Guy stalwarts, Julia
Sharp, Danny Smith, John Viener, Patrick Mayen.
Writing for the Oscars. Yeah. That's a pretty
big stage. It's about as big as it gets in terms
of televised events. Being tapped for that means
the industry sees you as a reliable, high level
joke writer who can deliver under immense scrutiny.
It's sort of like the ultimate validation of
their comedic skills recognized by the mainstream
industry. Absolutely. It shows that the family
guy's sensibility, or at least the writers behind
it, had achieved a certain level of institutional
acceptance, even respect. At the highest levels.
OK, so we've tracked this incredible professional
rise, late night, animation domination, blockbuster
films, Oscar recognition. It's a remarkable trajectory.
It really is. Consistent success across multiple
platforms driven by that core partnership. But
now we have to shift gears because alongside
all this professional success, there's the other
side of the coin, the public persona and specifically
the controversy. Section four. Right. And this
is where the modern reality of being a creative
really comes into play. The sources note that
Sulkin built up a pretty significant following
on Twitter. Which many writers and producers
do now. It's a way to connect with fans, share
thoughts. Exactly. But it also means your personal,
maybe unfiltered thoughts are broadcast instantly
to potentially millions of people. The line between
the writer's room and the public square completely
dissolves. And for Sulkin, that led to a major
incident in March 2011. We need to carefully
unpack what happened with a tweet about the Tuchoku
earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Yeah, this is
obviously sensitive territory. First, the context
is vital. The 2011 Chukwu event wasn't just an
earthquake. It was a triple disaster, massive
quake, devastating tsunami, and the Fukushima
nuclear crisis. The scale was just horrific.
Unbelievable. Over 15 ,000 people confirmed dead,
hundreds of thousands displaced. It was a moment
of profound global shock and mourning. Rescue
efforts were ongoing. The world was watching
in horror. And the timing of Sulkin's tweet.
Yeah. When did it happen relative to the disaster?
According to the sources, it was posted just
one day after the earthquake and tsunami hit,
literally while the crisis was still unfolding
in real time. Okay. And the tweet itself read,
If you want to feel better about this earthquake
in Japan, Google Pearl Harbor death toll. Yeah.
The intent seems to have been some kind of dark,
historical, maybe politically charged humor.
Trying to contextualize or diminish the tragedy
through a historical comparison. But the delivery.
The delivery connecting an immediate, catastrophic,
ongoing natural disaster where thousands were
dying to a historical military attack like Pearl
Harbor and doing it just 24 hours after the quake,
it landed disastrously. An incredible lapse in
judgment regarding timing and sensitivity. To
say the least, especially given the sheer scale
of the human suffering happening at that exact
moment. It just hit all the wrong notes immediately.
What happened right after he posted it? What
was the immediate fallout? Well, the backlash
was swift and severe, global, really. The next
day he deleted the tweet. And he issued an apology.
Yes, he issued an apology stating the post was
insensitive and that he hadn't, quote, realized
the extent and severity of the disaster. But
the damage was done. Why did this particular
tweet cause such an uproar compared to, you know,
other edgy online jokes we see all the time?
I think there are a few reasons. One, as we said,
the sheer humanitarian scale of the Chiku disaster
made sensitivities incredibly high. Two, remember
2011. Twitter was really hitting its stride as
a global news and commentary platform. Right.
Things could go viral very quickly, maybe before
people fully grasp the implications. Exactly.
And public figures, companies, they were still
figuring out the rules of engagement online.
How do you balance personal voice with professional
responsibility? The response here was intense,
sustained, and got picked up by major news outlets
worldwide. It really highlights this modern dilemma
for creatives, doesn't it? Uh -huh. In the past,
a writer's edgy joke might get filtered out in
the writer's room or by network standards. Now,
a late night tweet is instantly linked to your
professional identity. Absolutely. Sulkin was
already a known producer on Family Guy. Suddenly,
Alex Sulkin, private citizen on Twitter, and
Alex Sulkin, key creative for a major Fox Disney
show, were inseparable. And the network, the
studio, they have to deal with that fallout.
They do. They have to weigh the public relations
damage against the value of the creative talent.
It forced a very public reckoning with the consequences
of a joke that, you know, probably never would
have made it onto the actual show. And yet, and
this is maybe the most surprising part of this
section, despite this huge public controversy,
his career didn't stall. In fact, it accelerated
in the years after 2011. That's the really striking
thing the sources reveal. He weathered that storm,
kept working on Family Guy, co -wrote massive
hit movies like Ted, which came out the next
year, and eventually, years later, was promoted
to showrunner. Which says something. Yeah. About
how these things are weighed in the industry.
It certainly raises questions about accountability,
forgiveness, and the perceived value of proven
talent versus public perception. Okay, let's
round things out before we get to our final thoughts.
Yeah. Section 5. Just a few personal details
and the overall synthesis. Sure. Just to add
a bit more dimension. The sources mentioned he's
Jewish, which, you know, might inform some of
his comedic perspective, given how Family Guy
often plays with cultural references. He's married
to Tal Rabinowitz. They have one child. And an
interesting little tidbit connecting him to the
wider comedy world. He apparently dated Sarah
Silverman at one point. Oh, interesting. Yeah,
she's obviously another comedian known for pushing
boundaries. Right. It just helps paint a picture
of someone embedded in that specific comedy scene
for a long time. Okay, so let's pull it all together.
What's the big takeaway for someone trying to
understand Alex Sulkin's career? based on these
sources i think sulcan really embodies this modern
pathway for a successful comedy writer you start
in the trenches like late night prove your joke
writing chops right build that foundation then
leverage connections and talent to get into a
hit show like family guy you demonstrate versatility
and reliability over years maybe decades and
then if you navigate it right that leads to creative
leadership like becoming a showrunner and crucially
while doing all that you're also trying to branch
out in his case, very successfully into feature
films. Exactly. And the constant factor, the
engine behind so much of that upward mobility
seems to be that core partnership with Wellesley
Wild, operating under the broader umbrella of
Seth MacFarlane's production world. He found
his creative home, proved his worth within that
system, and was rewarded with immense trust and
responsibility. across different mediums. Yeah,
it highlights how valuable consistency and adaptability
are, but it also shows the power of loyalty and
established relationships within these successful
creative teams, perhaps even insulating them
to some extent from external criticism. All right.
That seems like a good place to wrap up our deep
dive on Alex Sulkin. We've covered the grind,
the creative output, the huge successes in animation
and film, and also the very real complexities
and consequences of being a public figure in
the Internet age. Yeah. The material really tells
a picture of just how demanding the comedy industry
is now. You need to be able to write a quick
gag for TV, craft a story for a movie, manage
a huge production. It's not just about being
funny anymore. You need to be a writer, a manager,
an innovator. Kind of all at once. It's impressive
he managed to climb to the top of Family Guy
while also co -writing blockbuster movies. That's
a rare balancing act. It truly is. But that brings
us to our final provocative thought for you,
the listener, to chew on. We discussed the intense
global backlash to that 2011 tweet, criticism
from major organizations, media outlets worldwide,
a serious public relations crisis. Right. Yet
in the years that followed, Alex Sulkin wasn't
sidelined. He continued to work. His film career
exploded with KED. And ultimately, he was promoted
to the very top creative position showrunner
at the company that faced that backlash. So the
question is. What does that outcome tell us about
accountability in the entertainment industry
today? How does a corporation weigh proven creative
and commercial success against past public controversies?
Where is that line drawn? And does achieving
a certain level of success change where that
line sits? A really interesting question to ponder.
Does consistent delivery, does making the company
money, ultimately outweigh a public offense in
the long run? That's a calculation happening
all the time in Hollywood. Okay, that's all the
time we have for this deep dive. Thanks for joining
us. Until next time.