- The title “Deep Throats” refers to W. Mark Felt, who until very recently was an anonymous source for Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, and leaked information about the involvement of U.S. President Richard Nixon’s administration in various misdeeds under the pseudonym Deep Throat, which soon led to the Watergate scandal. Famously he encouraged their investigation by suggesting they "follow the money". In this episode, Kermit the Frog also goes by the pseudonym Deep Throat when contacting Brian to hand out dirt on Mayor West. The meeting with "Deep Throat" in a multi-storey car-park, where he will not step out of the shadows to talk, is a reference to the film All the Presidents Men starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein, respectively, released in 1976. When Brian discovers Kermit’s identity, Kermit flees in a panic with his characteristic “YAAAAAAAY!!” from The Muppet Show.
- The title also alludes to the name of a notable early pornographic film, starring the late Linda Lovelace.
- While Peter is riding in the back of Brian’s cab, he insists on calling Brian “Bitterman,” a reference to the 1981 film Arthur, starring Dudley Moore. “Bitterman” is the name of the chauffeur to Arthur Bach, Dudley Moore’s character.
- A claymation cutaway is shown, parodying the clay cars Morty and Chuck from the Chevron commercials.
- When Lois mentions Peter’s part-time jobs, the cutaway shows Peter in his Burger King uniform singing the “Burger King Christmas Carol,” an Internet meme. Peter stands straight while singing, and the placements of the advertisements and menu are the same as in the Flash animation.
- When Cleveland smashes Brian’s taxicab for revenge, he is caught and morphs into a black panther and flees. In the DVD commentary, this is confirmed as a reference to Michael Jackson’s music video for “Black or White.”
- During the 1980s, Domino’s Pizza had an advertising campaign where a small man dressed in a tight suit known as the “Noid” always attempted to ruin Domino’s pizzas but never succeeded.
- The cutaway with Stewie Cruise on Oprah is a parody of Tom Cruise’s interview with Oprah Winfrey on May 23, 2005 in which he screamed about how much he loved Katie Holmes and jumped on the couch.
- The relationship between West and Meg could be seen as a parody of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, when former president Bill Clinton had an affair with the White House intern.
- While Brian and Stewie are in disguise staking out Mayor West and Meg, Stewie is in drag with his wig worn in a style that covers his right eye. This is a style made famous by 1940s glamor queen Veronica Lake.
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