Skip to Content

Are Billy McFarland And Seth MacFarlane Related?

Is Billy McFarland related to Seth MacFarlane?

Introduction

There’s no shortage of celebrities who are related to each other in the entertainment industry.

Call it nepotism or talent, the reality is that it’s not unheard of.

Some use those connections with their more famous family members to reach stardom.

While others have gone as far as changing their surname in an effort to distance themselves and make a name for themselves based on talent alone.

On the other side of that same coin are the celebrities people could swear are related, but who have a bigger chance of winning the lottery than being part of the same family tree.

In this article, we’re going to touch on the famous enigma surrounding Billy and Seth McFarland.

Most people swear they have to be related, but are they really? Keep reading to find out.

Are Billy McFarland and Seth MacFarlane Related

@Getty

Are Billy McFarland and Seth McFarland related?

Unfortunately for those convinced otherwise, Billy McFarland and Seth McFarland are not related. While it’s a common mistake, their last names actually aren’t even spelled the same way. Billy’s is spelled McFarland while Seth’s is spelled MacFarlane. They even look kind of similar, which did nothing but further fuel the rumors that they were part of the same familiar line.

Who is Billy McFarland?

If you know what the Fyre Festival fiasco of 2017 is about, then Billy’s name will sound very familiar to you.

Billy McFarland

@Getty

If you don’t, then buckle up for a fun story because this one has everything from supermodels to ham and cheese sandwiches, and even a lawsuit against more than one participant.

Billy McFarland is an American-born fraudster responsible for the failed Fyre music festival that should have taken place in the Bahamas in April 2017.

It was meant to be produced by his own company called Fyre Media, but he failed to realize it takes more work than a really good promotional video and a 17 million dollar loan.

So, where do the supermodels and sandwiches come in?

In the video he had made to promote the very expensive event, he had celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid frolicking in the white sand with the promise they would be there during the event.

However, when ticket holders started disembarking from the boats, they were met with rustic (really, really rustic) tents and some sad ham sandwiches instead of the luxurious event they had paid for.

Long story short, Billy’s venture capsized, and he had to default on the millionaire loan he’d taken out.

He was sued by a bunch of people associated with the event, and ended up being sentenced to 6 years in prison.

We bet Seth was really happy to not be related to Billy at that point.

READ MORE: Lisa Murkowski & Verne Martell

Who is Seth MacFarlane?

Seth MacFarlane is an American-born actor, producer, comedian, and screenwriter known for more projects than you might think.

Seth MacFarlane

@Getty

During his younger years, Seth was already showing a passion for creativity and entertainment, evidenced by the fact he loved drawing cartoon characters from as early as 2.

Animation seemed to be the road he would more than likely travel down when it came to his career.

He was so into the idea that at age 9, he was already publishing a weekly comic strip in the local newspaper – he was even getting paid for it!

He ended up graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design with a degree in animation and film.

It was during his time there that he created what would be the base of the cartoon show Family Guy, which a professor of his submitted to the cartoon studio Hanna-Barbera.

He was hired to work on Dexter’s Lab, Cow and Chicken, and Johnny Bravo mainly as a screenwriter.

Are any millennials reading this?

We know you know how big of a deal this is.

After years at the cartoon studio, which he has reported as having loved, he decided to move on in order to follow his true passion of creating his own prime-time animation program.

He wanted to be able to write the script for the show in a much spicier way than he was able to while writing for children’s shows. And so, Family Guy was born. 

From there, it was a whirlwind of successful shows like American Dad and The Cleveland Show, followed by some big-screen appearances like Ted and A Million Ways To Die In The West.  

READ MORE: Selena Quintanilla Net Worth

Some other celebrities you thought were related but aren’t

  • Mandy Moore and Demi Moore. Absolutely no relation, although it would be funny given how different they seem to be.
  • Matthew Perry and Kary Perry. Did you know Perry isn’t Katy’s original (or legal) last name? She was actually born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson. And nope, she’s not related to Kate Hudson either.
  • Michael Keaton and Diane Keaton. This one even caught us by surprise. They look so similar! But the two actors don’t even have a drop of the same blood among them.
  • Denzel Washington and Kerry Washington. While both are incredible actors, they are not related to each other. Washington is a very common last name for people who are descendants from the South of the United States, so it’s not surprising two of them would end up being successful actors.

READ THIS NEXT: Is Keanu Reeves Religious?