Lacey Chabert, a name now synonymous with heartwarming Hallmark Christmas movies, boasts a career that began long before her reign as festive film royalty. Discovered at a young age, Chabert’s early career included notable roles in television dramas and coming-of-age movies, most famously as Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls. However, for animation aficionados, Chabert holds a unique place in Family Guy history: she was the original voice behind Meg Griffin.
In 1999, as Family Guy launched its first season, it was Lacey Chabert who brought Meg Griffin to life with her voice. She voiced Meg throughout the entire first season and in a handful of episodes in the second season. But then, just as the show was finding its footing, Meg’s voice changed. Why did Lacey Chabert, the initial voice of Meg, depart from the show?
According to Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, the change was purely contractual. In a 2003 interview with IGN, MacFarlane explained, “It was just purely a contractual thing. Lacey Chabert, I think there was a mistake in her contract, and I guess she had not intended to be involved for, like, the full run of the show. I don’t even remember. To be honest, I don’t really, to this day, know what it was. It was nothing – there was no tension or anything. She wanted to go, and she was very cool about it. We obviously don’t want to keep anyone there who doesn’t want to be there.”
Chabert herself corroborated this account, adding further context to her departure. In a 2006 interview with GameSpy, she stated, “I actually left the show of my own accord. And only because I was in school and doing Party of Five at the time. But I think the show is hilarious, and don’t have a grudge against her at all. I think she’s a great actress.” The demands of balancing her education with her role as Claudia Salinger in the popular drama Party of Five simply became too much alongside voicing Meg Griffin.
The transition from Chabert to her replacement, Mila Kunis, who took over the role from the second season onwards, is a testament to the often-unseen world of voice acting changes. Unlike on-screen roles, voice actors can be replaced with less public outcry, as MacFarlane pointed out: “We do get replaced and it doesn’t kill you, it doesn’t kill you. That’s the difference I think between [voice acting and] on-camera. I think if this was on-camera, I think you’d have an all-out f***ing war, it would be in the tabloids, it would be a big stink but we don’t operate that way because it happens. I’ve been replaced several times and you still go to work and it’s okay.”
Family Guy has even playfully acknowledged this voice transition within the show itself. In a self-referential clip, Stewie Griffin travels back in time and encounters Chabert’s Meg, exclaiming, “Oh my god, we’re getting closer to the beginning – you’re Lacey Chabert!”. This meta-joke highlights the show’s self-awareness and its playful approach to its own history.
Ultimately, Lacey Chabert’s departure as the voice of Meg Griffin was amicable and driven by practical considerations. While Mila Kunis has become the established voice of Meg for the vast majority of Family Guy‘s run, Lacey Chabert holds the distinction of being the original voice, laying the foundation for the character in the show’s formative years. Her brief but significant contribution remains a unique piece of Family Guy lore, fondly remembered by long-time fans and occasionally winked at by the show itself.
