Family Guy confirm they have killed off major character after 23 seasons

It's officially the end

After more than two decades on screen, the show have killed off one of their biggest characters, and with it, a huge rivalry.

It comes after The Simpsons killed off their leading lady Marge, albeit temporarily.

Ernie the Giant Chicken has been a part of the show for 25 years, but now he is no more.

Known for his rivalry with Peter, TV producers have confirmed the Giant Chicken is gone for good.

In the latest episode 'The Chicken or the Meg', Ernie came to an untimely death after Meg entered into relations with his son, Nugget.

Ernie was initially keen for Meg to date his son, however it came to a point where he asked her to cut off ties with her father, or leave his son.

Meg, voiced by Mila Kunis, saw this as a time to take matters into her own hands.

She chopped Ernie's head off, leaving him to have one final moment of running around like a literal headless chicken, before he dropped dead.

Fans weren't sure if this was officially Giant Chicken's end, as the show famously previously killed off Brian before he returned, very much alive, a few episodes down the line.

However, Family Guy producer Alex Sulkin confirmed to TV Line that it was in fact the end for Ernie.

“Honestly, I feel like we got so many great set pieces out of the giant chicken fighting with Peter that they became hard to top," he said.

“It’s a lot to ask of our production crew, and we may have just gotten the best out of that character.”