Don’t worry, guys — even though Pauley Perrette no longer graces our NCIS screens as the inimitable Abby, she’s still out here fighting the good fight. This week, that means taking Family Feud to task for its “filthy” language.
So, yes, you could say that Perrette is having a figurative feud with Family Feud. However, one could easily argue she wasn’t trying to pick a fight — she was simply trying to effect change (or, at the very least, start a thoughtful dialogue) when she tweeted at the game show on Monday.
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“Dear @FamilyFeudABC I love @SteveHarveyFM and I love game shows. WHY DO YOU MAKE YOUR PROGRAM SO FILTHY? Even with child players? No reason,” she wrote.
Dear @FamilyFeudABC I love @SteveHarveyFM and I love game shows. WHY DO YOU MAKE YOU PROGRAM SO FILTHY? Even with child players? No reason
— Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) August 13, 2018
In a subsequent tweet, she added, “I’m a sociologist, love @FamilyFeudABC but WHY WHY are all the questions now filthy and sex questions? There’s so much more to humans. C’mon.”
I’m a sociologist, love @FamilyFeudABC but WHY WHY are all the questions now filthy and sex questions? There’s so much more to humans. Cmon
— Pauley Perrette (@PauleyP) August 13, 2018
While die-hard fans of the Steve Harvey-hosted game show were quick to defend the program and point out that game shows have always included sexual innuendo, Perrette’s comments clearly struck a chord with many fans.
“It’s because society no longer has to hold back,” one fan wrote. “Filth and sexual content is all over our tvs and networks now. I miss the days where we had standards and morals.”
Another lamented, “My mom (88) won’t watch family feud anymore because it is too dirty. Everything doesn’t have to have a sexual twist to it.”
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To be fair, Perrette does have a point. Questions like, “Name something a man might have in his pants when going on a hot date,” and “Name something that might be hot and dirty,” certainly seem to have been created to elicit a certain kind of response.
However, as some of Perrette’s fans pointed out, the show has been around for a long time — 42 years — and has had numerous hosts, likely all relying at some point on off-color commentary for laughs.
Not to mention the fact that the syndicated game show continues to draw strong audience numbers. It hit a ratings record high in 2017, poising it to become the first nationally syndicated TV series to increase ratings for seven consecutive years according to Deadline.
ABC has not yet responded to Us Weekly’s requests for comment.
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