Death Of Brian Griffin — Cartoon illustration of Brian Griffin, the white dog from Family Guy, standing on a red background.

Death Of Brian Griffin

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Published September 24, 2026

The Death of Brian Griffin refers to the November 24, 2013 Family Guy episode 'Life of Brian,' in which the talking dog Brian was hit by a car and killed, plus the massive fan backlash that pressured Fox to resurrect him three weeks later. A Change.org petition topped 100,000 signatures inside 72 hours before producers reversed the death in the December 15, 2013 episode 'Christmas Guy.'

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Overview

The Death of Brian Griffin refers to the temporary killing off of Brian, the talking dog from Fox's animated sitcom Family Guy, in the November 24, 2013 episode 'Life of Brian'1. Brian was struck by a reckless driver while playing street hockey with baby Stewie outside the family's Quahog home and died at the hospital from his injuries2. Producers introduced a replacement dog named Vinny, voiced by Sopranos actor Tony Sirico, inside the same episode3.

The move triggered a major fan revolt against Fox. Viewers piled onto Twitter with the tags #RIPBrian and #BringBackBrian, and a fan-launched Change.org petition topped 100,000 signatures inside three days5. The outrage drew coverage from CNN, TMZ, and every major entertainment outlet within a week of the broadcast3.

Origin & Background

Platform
Fox (broadcast) / Twitter and Change.org (viral spread)
Key People
Family Guy writers
Date
2013

'Life of Brian,' the sixth episode of Family Guy's twelfth season, aired on Fox on November 24, 20131. Brian is hit by a car while playing street hockey with baby Stewie and dies at the hospital soon after his injuries2. Rather than reset the death immediately with Stewie's time machine, the writers kept the loss in place and dropped in the new family dog Vinny inside the same half hour3.

Executive producer Steve Callaghan told E! News the idea 'got pitched in the writers' room, and it sort of caught fire,' calling the death 'a fun way to shake things up'2. Callaghan added that a dog dying in a road accident felt more plausible than losing one of the human Griffins3. Sopranos veteran Tony Sirico was cast quickly for Vinny to keep the family formula intact, and voice actors Mila Kunis and Seth Green were reportedly stunned by the twist3.

How It Spread

Twitter lit up during the broadcast itself. Fans flooded the tags #RIPBrian and #BringBackBrian, with analytics service Topsy counting at least 6,000 mentions of #BringBackBrian inside the first hour, and a Facebook memorial titled 'R.I.P Brian from Family Guy' cleared 758,000 likes by November 274.

Alabama fan Aaron Thompson launched a Change.org petition early Monday morning, arguing that the writers 'killed the dog we all have come to love. They killed America's dog!'5. It collected 1,500 signatures within hours2, 35,000 by Tuesday morning1, and passed 100,000 inside 72 hours5. CNN, TMZ, CBS, The Huffington Post, The Independent, and International Business Times all covered the backlash within days3. CNN quoted former Family Guy writer David Zuckerman, who tweeted that although he was no longer with the show, he still hoped 'Brian isn't really dead'1.

The stunt resolved itself in the December 15, 2013 Christmas special 'Christmas Guy,' when a still-grieving Stewie ran into a past version of himself carrying the time machine, borrowed it, and pulled Brian out of the road before the fatal collision could happen4. Fox never wavered publicly during the three-week gap, and the writers folded the reversal into a holiday episode roughly three weeks after the initial death aired1.

How to Use This Meme

The Death of Brian Griffin is more an event than a template, but people typically invoke the phrase and the #BringBackBrian tag whenever a long-running animated series kills off a fan-favorite character, or when a network reverses an unpopular creative decision under audience pressure1. The Change.org petition itself is often held up as an early template for coordinated online fandom campaigns aimed at TV producers5.

Cultural Impact

The episode is still cited as an early proof that social media fan campaigns can push networks into reversing creative choices. Steve Callaghan initially framed the death as a chance to reshape 'the family dynamics and the characters,' a shift that lasted exactly three weeks before the writers restored the status quo2. Seth MacFarlane told reporters at a Television Critics Association panel that 'the rage wasn't something we counted on,' said the storyline had helped ratings, and ruled out doing it again: 'Would I do it again? No. We already did it.'4

Fun Facts

The Change.org petition framed Brian's death as killing 'America's dog' and passed 100,000 signatures inside 72 hours5.

Alabama fan Aaron Thompson launched the petition from his home in Tuscaloosa, and it hit 1,500 signatures inside hours2.

The petition described Brian as 'the dog who has lived in our homes for the last 15 years'5.

Steve Callaghan said losing one of the Griffin children was considered too traumatic, so the family dog was chosen instead3.

Tony Sirico, best known as Paulie Walnuts on The Sopranos, voiced the short-lived replacement dog Vinny2.

Frequently Asked Questions