Bonnie Swanson is the wife of Griffin neighbor Joe Swanson, and mother of Kevin and Susie Swanson. Bonnie was originally pregnant for the first 116 episodes until giving birth to daughter Susie Swanson in "Ocean's Three and a Half", and quickly lost the baby weight. She has curly black hair, which was auburn in her first appearance in "A Hero Sits Next Door" and the color briefly returns in a scene goof in "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas".
Bonnie is much calmer than her husband Joe but usually fails in her attempts to quell his outbursts. She once said in "A Hero Sits Next Door" that she can't ever say no to her husband. This changes when Joe gets new legs in "Believe It or Not, Joe's Walking on Air", becomes a jerk and leaves Bonnie. She then tries to shoot him in the back, crippling him, but misses several times, which then reduces Joe to shooting himself.
Their marriage begins to show signs of being strained in "Foreign Affairs" when she takes a trip with Lois to Paris, France to have an affair when she feels her marriage to Joe is growing stale. Lois calls Joe and he convinces Bonnie to come back. Joe considers having an affair of his own in "Internal Affairs", resulting in Bonnie leaving him. After Joe recounts how he met Bonnie as a stripper, Peter and Lois use the information to successfully get them back together. Bonnie appears to take out aggression on the shooting range at a handicap target in "The Most Interesting Man in the World". In "Brian the Closer" she chooses a house that specifically leans on its foundation toward a sheer cliff with a sliding glass door. When Joe becomes completely paralyzed in "Brokeback Swanson", she leaves him to go to Europe.
She is played by Valerie Bertinelli in the movie Rolling Courage: The Joe Swanson Story in "Ready, Willing, and Disabled".
In "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas", she told the story of her husband's accident. In "Road to the North Pole", she requested platinum-plated silverware from Santa Claus for Christmas in the song "All I Really Want For Christmas".
In "Stewie Kills Lois", Peter re-enters the dating world following Lois's disappearance. With Joe's consent, Bonnie is one of the women with whom Peter goes on a date.
In "April in Quahog", Bonnie had sex with Quagmire with Joe's permission after Quagmire lied and said he was a virgin.
In "Go, Stewie, Go!", Bonnie admits to Lois that she had an affair with some guys from internet.
In "New Kidney in Town", she was one of the many who Peter shouted out to while on The Price is Right.
In "And I'm Joyce Kinney", after Joyce Kinney had done her exposé on Lois, Bonnie goes over to the Griffin home to call Lois a slut.
In "The Hand That Rocks the Wheelchair", she employs Meg Griffin as babysitter for her daughter and husband while she goes out of town.
In "The Heartbreak Dog", Bonnie reveals she planned to do so much in her life but had to put it all down to look after Joe. She confides with Brian about this and they share a passionate kiss in which after they attempt to run off to achieve everything they have dreamed of.
Notes[]
- In "Love Thy Trophy", Lois calls Bonnie "Debbie" after Joe and Cleveland stall the foster parents. Alex Borstein reported she had slipped up when giving the reading and no one noticed. On the UK release date of Family Guy Season 1, the description for "A Hero Sits Next Door", coincidentally makes the same mistake in mentioning Bonnie's name as Debbie.
- Also in "Love Thy Trophy", Bonnie is shown to become sexually excited while watching her husband lie to strangers.
- In "The Hand That Rocks the Wheelchair", it is hinted that Bonnie smuggled cocaine for a man named Ricardo. In the same episode, Bonnie states she'll be back because she really needs to keep getting voiceover checks in order to support her gambling habit, referring to Jennifer Tilly's side career of professional poker.
- In "And Then There Were Fewer", it was revealed that James Woods punched Bonnie in the throat because she sounds the way she does.
- Bonnie appears in the special opening of "Valentine's Day in Quahog". She also has a very brief appearance in the uncensored version of "Turban Cowboy" as the guys line up at the airport to make their first skydiving jump.
- Peter notes that he can see into Bonnie's window from Stewie's room in "Grimm Job", although Stewie picks Lois over Bonnie.
- At Bonnie's 46th birthday party in "The Heartbreak Dog", she confuses Brian's approach for Joe. When he calls out her name, she reminds "Joe" that he can call her "Bonald" in private, leaving Brian to wonder if that is her real name.
- Bonnie has a brother that was mentioned in "Adoptation" where Lois says that she dremt that she met Bonnie's brother after having not met him in seven years. She claims tough that she did see a Facebook photo of him from like a month ago.
- Bonnie does also have a sister called Denise that appeared alongside her husband, Wendell in "Shanksgiving".
Relatives[]
- Joe Swanson (husband)
- Kevin Swanson (son)
- Susie Swanson (daughter)
- Denise (sister)
- Unnamed Brother
- Unnamed Mother
- Bud Swanson (Father-in-law)
- Joe's mom (Mother-in-law)
Episode Appearances[]
- FG105 "A Hero Sits Next Door"
- FG203 "Da Boom"
- FG205 "Love Thy Trophy"
- FG208 "I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar"
- FG211 "A Picture's Worth a Thousand Bucks"
- FG212 "Fifteen Minutes of Shame"
- FG216 "There's Something About Paulie"
- FG218 "E. Peterbus Unum"
- FG220 "Wasted Talent"
- FG301 "The Thin White Line"
- FG304 "One if by Clam, Two if by Sea"
- FG305 "And the Wiener is..."
- FG307 "Lethal Weapons"
- FG314 "Peter Griffin: Husband, Father...Brother?" (mentioned)
- FG315 "Ready, Willing, and Disabled"
- FG316 "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas"
- FG403 "Blind Ambition"
- FG405 "The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire"
- FG406 "Petarded"
- FG407 "Brian the Bachelor" (heard)
- FG409 "Breaking Out is Hard to Do"
- FG411 "Peter's Got Woods" (mentioned)
- FG412 "The Perfect Castaway"
- FG418 "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz"
- FG419 "Brian Sings and Swings"
- FG421 "I Take Thee Quagmire"
- FG426 "Petergeist"
- FG429 "Bango Was His Name Oh"
- FG430 "Stu & Stewie's Excellent Adventure" (mentioned, deceased)
- FG507 "Chick Cancer"
- FG510 "Peter's Two Dads"
- FG514 "No Meals on Wheels" (mentioned)
- FG517 "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One"
- FG603 "Believe It or Not, Joe's Walking on Air"
- FG604 "Stewie Kills Lois"
- FG609 "Back to the Woods" (mentioned)
- FG610: "Play It Again, Brian" (mentioned)
- FG612 "Long John Peter"
- FG703 "Road to Germany"
- FG707 "Ocean's Three and a Half"
- FG709 "The Juice Is Loose"
- FG710 "FOX-y Lady"
- FG713 "Stew-Roids"
- FG801 "Road to the Multiverse" (mentioned)
- FG806 "Quagmire's Baby"
- FG808 "Dog Gone"
- FG811 "Dial Meg for Murder" (mentioned)
- FG813 "Go, Stewie, Go!"
- FG815 "Brian Griffin's House of Payne"
- FG816 "April in Quahog" (mentioned)
- FG818 "Quagmire's Dad"
- FG819 "The Splendid Source"
- FG901 "And Then There Were Fewer"
- FG905 "Baby, You Knock Me Out"
- FG907 "Road to the North Pole"
- FG908 "New Kidney in Town" (mentioned)
- FG909 "And I'm Joyce Kinney"
- FG912 "The Hand That Rocks the Wheelchair"
- FG914 "Tiegs for Two"
- FG917 "Foreign Affairs"
- FG1001 "Lottery Fever" (mentioned)
- FG1002 "Seahorse Seashell Party" (mentioned)
- FG1003 "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q."
- FG1006 "Thanksgiving"
- FG1007 "Amish Guy"
- FG1008 "Cool Hand Peter"
- FG1009 "Grumpy Old Man" (heard)
- FG1011 "The Blind Side"
- FG1013 "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream"
- FG1015 "Burning Down the Bayit"
- FG1017 "Forget-Me-Not"
- FG1021 "Tea Peter"
- FG1023 "Internal Affairs"
- FG1102 "Ratings Guy"
- FG1103 "The Old Man and the Big 'C'" (heard)
- FG1104 "Yug Ylimaf"
- FG1105 "Joe's Revenge"
- FG1106 "Lois Comes Out of Her Shell"
- FG1107 "Friends Without Benefits" (mentioned)
- FG1110 "Brian's Play"
- FG1111 "The Giggity Wife" (mentioned)
- FG1112 "Valentine's Day in Quahog"
- FG1114 "Call Girl"
- FG1115 "Turban Cowboy" (Uncensored version)
- FG1118 "Total Recall" (special opening & mention)
- FG1119 "Save the Clam"
- FG1121 "Roads to Vegas"
- FG1205 "Boopa-Dee Bappa-Dee" (mentioned)
- FG1206 "Life of Brian"
- FG1210 "Grimm Job" (mentioned)
- FG1212 "Mom's the Word"
- FG1213 "3 Acts of God"
- FG1215 "Secondhand Spoke" (mentioned)
- FG1216 "Herpe, the Love Sore"
- FG1219 "Meg Stinks!" (heard)
- FG1220 "He's Bla-ack!"
- FG1221 "Chap Stewie"
- FG1301 "The Simpsons Guy"
- FG1302 "The Book of Joe"
- FG1304 "Brian the Closer"
- FG1305 "Turkey Guys"
- FG1206 "The 2000-Year-Old Virgin" (mentioned)
- FG1310 "Quagmire's Mom"
- FG1312 "Stewie Is Enceinte"
- FG1313 "Dr. C & The Women" (mentioned)
- FG1314 "#JOLO"
- FG1315 "Once Bitten" (mentioned)
- FG1316 "Roasted Guy"
- FG1317 "Fighting Irish"
- FG1318 "Take My Wife"
- FG1401 "Pilling Them Softly"
- FG1402 "Papa Has A Rollin' Son"
- FG1406 "Peter's Sister"
- FG1407 "Hot Pocket-Dial"
- FG1408 "Brokeback Swanson"
- FG1411 "The Peanut Butter Kid"
- FG1415 "A Lot Going On Upstairs" (mentioned)
- FG1416 "The Heartbreak Dog"
- FG1417 "Take a Letter"
- FG1418 "The New Adventures of Old Tom"
- FG1420 "Road to India" (mentioned)
- FG1504 "Inside Family Guy"
- FG1505 "Chris Has Got a Date, Date, Date, Date, Date"
- FG1507 "High School English" (as Myrtle Wilson)
- FG1509 "How the Griffin Stole Christmas"
- FG1510 "Passenger Fatty-Seven"
- FG1511 "Gronkowsbees" (mentioned)
- FG1514 "The Dating Game"
- FG1515 "Cop and a Half-Wit"
- FG1518 "The Peter Principal" (heard)
- FG1520 "A House Full of Peters"
- FG1601 "Emmy-Winning Episode"
- FG1603 "Nanny Goats"
- FG1604 "Follow the Money"
- FG1610 "Boy (Dog) Meets Girl (Dog)" (heard)
- FG1614 "Veteran Guy"
- FG1618 "HTTPete"
- FG1619 "The Unkindest Cut"
- FG1620 "Are You There God? It's Me, Peter"
- FG1701 "Married...With Cancer"
- FG1705 "Regarding Carter"
- FG1708 "Con Heiress" (heard)
- FG1709 "Pawtucket Pete"
- FG1713 "Trans-Fat"
- FG1714 "Family Guy Lite"
- FG1715 "No Giggity, No Doubt"
- FG1718 "Throw It Away" (heard)
- FG1719 "Girl, Internetted"
- FG1801 "Yacht Rocky"
- FG1802 "Bri-Da"
- FG1806 "Peter & Lois' Wedding"
- FG1807 "Heart Burn"
- FG1808 "Shanksgiving"
- FG1809 "Christmas is Coming"
- FG1811 "Short Cuts" (mentioned)
- FG1812 "Undergrounded" (mentioned)
- FG1814 "The Movement"
- FG1815 "Baby Stewie"
- FG1816 "Start Me Up"
- FG1817 "Coma Guy"
- FG1818 "Better Off Meg"
- FG1901 "Stewie's First Word"
- FG1903 "Boys & Squirrels" (heard)
- FG1905 "La Famiglia Guy"
- FG1906 "Meg's Wedding"
- FG1907 "Wild Wild West"
- FG1911 "Boy's Best Friend" (heard)
- FG1913 "PeTerminator" (mentioned)
- FG1914 "The Marrying Kind"
- FG1915 "Customer of the Week" (heard & mentioned)
- FG1917 "Young Parent Trap" (mentioned)
- FG2003 "Must Love Dogs"
- FG2005 "Brief Encounter"
- FG2006 "Cootie & the Blowhard"
- FG2010 "Christmas Crime"
- FG2011 "Mister Act"
- FG2014 "HBO-No"
- FG2015 "Hard Boiled Meg"
- FG2016 "Prescription Heroine"
- FG2017 "All About Alana"
- FG2019 "First Blood"
- FG2020 "The Jersey Bore" (mentioned)
- FG2103 "A Wife-Changing Experience"
- FG2104 "The Munchurian Candidate"
- FG2105 "Unzipped Code"
- FG2109 "Carny Knowledge"
- FG2110 "The Candidate"
- FG2113 "Single White Dad"
- FG2115 "Adoptation" (mentioned)
- FG2116 "The Bird Reich"
- FG2117 "A Bottle Episode"
- FG2119 "From Russia With Love"
- FG2202 "Supermarket Pete"
- FG2205 "Baby, It's Cold Inside" (mention)
- FG2208 "Baking Sad"
- FG2210 "Cabin Pressure"
- FG2213 "Lifeguard Meg" (mention)
- FG2214 "Fat Actor"