It’s fair to say Seth MacFarlane has always been something of a provocateur.
After all, the actor, writer, and surprisingly good singer created Family Guy, a show with something of a reputation for pushing boundaries.
However, it’s not Peter Griffin’s latest antics that have shocked Seth’s fans this week; instead, it’s his other show, Ted.
The show, which dropped on March 5, is a prequel to the movie series of the same name, and follows a young John Bennett and his foul-mouthed anthropomorphic teddy bear Ted as they navigate the trials and tribulations of being a teenager.
So what’s got viewers in such a tizzy? Well, in episode five of season two, there’s a cameo from none other than President Bill Clinton.
Fans watching the series were legitimately freaked out by the cameo, especially on X.
‘Am I looking at a.i Bill Clinton in Ted?’ asked @__zavage, and @Revkan_ questioned: ‘Why is Bill Clinton in Ted?’
@joe_applebrook meanwhile wrote: ‘They had Bill Clinton appear in an episode, and I can’t tell if it’s a lookalike or some sort of CG or AI deepfake because he looks EXACTLY like the real thing. It’s gotta be some sort of special effect, right?’
If, like Joe, you want to know how Seth got Slick Willie to appear on the show, we know the answer.
He didn’t.
Yes, during the Ted Season 2 premiere, Seth was asked about the Clinton cameo, and he admitted it’s actually him doing an impression of the former president.
They then used deepfake technologies to create a digital mask transforming Seth into the 42nd president.
‘I’ve been doing my Bill Clinton impression since the early days of Family Guy, he told AP News.
‘We filmed this a year and a half ago, that’s how long it takes us to do the CGI. It’s an interesting example of how AI can be used as a tool and not necessarily trample on the art that the rest of the industry is doing.
‘We tried prosthetics, we tried traditional CGI, and everything just looked terrifying. So we just said, “To hell with it, let’s try AI”. It worked, it was the only way to look like Bill Clinton.’
Fans agreed with Seth, with @Gourgeist writing: ‘It’s actually insane how much Seth looks like Bill Clinton here. You could have told me they invented a time machine and kidnapped him from 1995, and I would have believed you
However, after it emerged that Seth had used AI to achieve the effect, fans were less than pleased.
Do you care that Seth MacFarlane used AI in Ted?
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Yes
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No
‘Sorry, Seth, but I don’t believe everything else was worse. I think it just took more work and time,’ claimed @Bizcuthammer.
‘Seth, buddy, what are we doing here? People know it’s not the real Clinton. They know what acting is. This is a real lazy excuse to justify the AI,’ agreed @Bebop4Multi. ‘ It’s not like Bill Clinton has that specific of a look. You could have just worn a wig and done the voice, and people would get it.’
Despite the AI backlash, Ted season two has received positive reviews. IGN gave it 8/10, praising the way the show balanced emotion and comedy.
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