Inside the Actor's Studio

The other night I found myself watching one of my favorite shows, “Inside the Actor’s Studio.” The guests were four members of the cast of “Family Guy,” and it was a pretty entertaining hour. The actors cracked a ton of jokes and did incredible impressions and did a great job keeping me laughing.

Finally, host James Lipton came to the portion of the program where he asks his guests a series of ten questions, such as “What is your favorite sound?” It's a part of the show that I always look forward to, as the guests tend to give their answers in rapid fire and seem to be feeling particularly open and honest by this point.

The last question in the series is always, “If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?” The answers usually range from the sweet (Peter Boyle: “Welcome home”) to the humorous (Conan O’Brien: “Conan, how did you do it?”).

I was very interested to hear what the “Family Guy” cast would have to say in response, but wasn’t quite prepared for show creator Seth MacFarlane’s answer to catch me off guard.

James Lipton: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?”
Seth MacFarlane: I’m really sorry about all my followers.

There was an awkward silence, and then just tepid, nervous laughter. Seth smiled broadly and chuckled, and then Lipton moved on to another actor. But my own smile at home faltered, and I've been thinking about his answer ever since.

Packs a bit of a punch, doesn’t it?