It was 2007. Every kid on the playground was talking about it. Every parent was probably slightly horrified. For years, Family Guy teased us with Stewie’s matricidal rants, but we all figured it was just a gag. Then came the 100th episode.
The writers finally pulled the trigger. Literally.
When people search for stewie griffin kills lois, they’re usually looking for one of two things: the sheer shock value of that machine-gun scene on the cruise ship, or the "gotcha" ending that some fans still argue about today. Honestly, it remains one of the boldest swings an animated sitcom has ever taken. It wasn’t just a cutaway gag that lasted five seconds. It was a massive, two-part event that fundamentally played with the show's DNA before resetting the status quo.
The Night Everything Changed in Quahog
The setup was simple. It’s Lois’s birthday. Brian, trying to be the sophisticated friend he thinks he is, buys her cruise tickets. He expects to go with her. Instead, she takes Peter.
Stewie is livid. Not because he’s a baby who needs his mother, but because he’s been left behind. After Brian eggs him on—basically calling him "all talk"—Stewie decides to finally prove he’s the villain he claims to be. He speedboats out to the ship, corners Lois on the deck, and opens fire.
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It’s brutal. It’s fast. And for a second, you actually believe she’s gone.
For the next year of "show time," the Griffins mourn. Or, well, they try to. Peter starts dating again (including a stick figure, because it’s Family Guy). Joe starts suspecting Peter of the murder because of a life insurance policy. It looks like the show is turning into a gritty police procedural. Then, right as Peter is about to be sentenced to life in prison, Lois kicks open the courtroom doors.
The Twist Nobody Saw Coming (Or Maybe They Did)
Lois survived, obviously. She had amnesia, worked at a fat camp, and dated a white supremacist before a blow to the head brought her memory back. Standard soap opera stuff, right? But the real drama started when she pointed that finger at the back of the courtroom and yelled, "The baby did it!"
The second half, "Lois Kills Stewie," turns into a global manhunt. Stewie goes full dictator. He takes over the CIA. He becomes President of the World and subjects everyone to weird, tyrannical laws. It’s peak "Evil Stewie" era.
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But then we get the reveal.
The whole thing—the murder, the trial, the world domination—was a simulation. Stewie was just running a "what if" scenario on a machine to see if he could actually pull it off. He decides that the world isn’t ready for his rule yet (and he’s probably not ready for the fallout of actually losing his mom).
Why This Episode Still Hits Different
You've gotta remember the context of 2007. Family Guy was at the height of its "edgy" revival after being brought back from cancellation. This two-parter felt like a reward for the fans who stuck around.
- The stakes felt real: Even if we suspected a reset, seeing Cleveland actually "die" in the simulation was a huge shock.
- The action was top-tier: The fight in the Oval Office between Lois and Stewie is still one of the best-animated sequences in the series. It parodies The Matrix and every 80s action movie you can think of.
- The Guest Stars: Having the actual American Idol judges (Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul) voice themselves during Stewie's audition for world power was a meta-moment that defined that era of TV.
Some fans hated the "it was all a dream" ending. I get it. It feels like a cop-out when you’ve invested an hour of your life into a storyline. But let’s be real: Family Guy couldn't actually kill Lois. The show needs that friction. Without Lois to hate, Stewie loses his edge.
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Key Details for the Super-Fans
If you’re rewatching this on Hulu or Disney+ tonight, look out for these specific bits:
- The 100th Episode Special: Fox originally aired a tribute hosted by Seth MacFarlane right before part one.
- Crossovers: Stan Smith and Avery Bullock from American Dad! make an appearance when Stewie is hacking the CIA.
- The "Poop Deck" Joke: It’s a classic Peter Griffin misunderstanding that actually moves the plot forward.
How to Watch the Full Saga
Don't just watch the clips on YouTube. You lose the pacing. To get the full experience of when stewie griffin kills lois, you need to watch the episodes in order.
- Part 1: "Stewie Kills Lois" (Season 6, Episode 4)
- Part 2: "Lois Kills Stewie" (Season 6, Episode 5)
Interestingly, these were originally produced for Season 5 but got pushed back. They also served as the last episodes to air before the 2007 Writers Guild strike, which added a weird layer of "is this the end?" for fans at the time.
Actionable Next Steps:
If you want to dive deeper into the "Evil Stewie" lore, follow up these episodes with "Da Boom" (Season 2) to see another "alternate reality" scenario, or "Road to the Multiverse" (Season 8) for more high-concept sci-fi. Comparing the 2007 version of Stewie to the more "modern, soft" Stewie of 2026 is a fascinating look at how character writing evolves over decades. Check your streaming local listings to ensure you have the "uncensored" versions, as several jokes involving Peter and Lois's body-swap were trimmed for the original broadcast.