Red Forman from That '70s Show is the dad-sitcom lovers cannot get over even after so many years; the Forman patriarch is an overbearing and unyielding disciplinarian who hates talking about his feelings and loves keeping his kids in line, especially his son Eric. But it would be unfair to call him a bad parent, his methods may have been difficult but he does want to provide his kids with a stable home.
And though fans have often found his parenting skills to be too harsh, they have also empathized with him and his struggles. Here are just a few times Red Forman has brought out rage and pity in the fans.
10 Felt Bad: When He Tried To Connect With Eric
The generation gap between Red and Eric takes a huge toll on their relationship, and though Red is a competent father, he has greatly struggled to get through to his children, especially Eric. The reason why he comes across as a harsh and insensitive disciplinarian is because that’s the only way he knows how to parent. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about Eric’s issues.
For instance, when Eric was in a depressive state over his breakup with Donna, Red tried to open up about his experiences so Eric could relate to him. But Eric was too wrapped up in his own troubles to notice that Red was trying hard.
9 Hated Him: When He Was Sexist Towards Joanne
Red does function along old school patriarchal lines and is uncomfortable with the idea of swapping gender roles. When Bob’s new girlfriend Joanne comes over for a barbecue lunch and wants to grill the meat, Red stops her. Red talks about how grilling is a man’s job and Joanne and Kitty could cook the vegetables.
Joanne and Kitty both take offense at this. A few days later when Joanne comes over again, Red makes grilled meat and asks Joanne to make the veggies, as a form of payback
8 Felt Bad: When He Found Out About Laurie’s Affair With Her Professor
Red adored Laurie, and over the years had chosen to look over the fact that she was a vicious, scheming, and selfish girl who also had sketchy morals. So every time Laurie would let him down he would be acutely hurt because he was the only one in the family who had always rooted for her.
When Red realizes that Laurie was having a fling with her college professor, he was quite dumbfounded because he wasn't sure how he could salvage the situation. Fans of the show who have had similar parenting dilemmas have related very strongly with Red’s struggle to help his errant daughter.
7 Hated Him: When He Wanted To Kick Hyde Out
Red wanted to kick Hyde out when he found out that he had been busted for possession of marijuana. This was not just a bad idea but also very thoughtless on Red’s part because the reason Hyde was living under their roof was that he had nowhere to go.
Besides, Red obviously knew that almost every kid in school had experimented with weed, so kicking Hyde out of his house was quite unreasonable. To top it off, when he finds out that Hyde was taking the blame for Donna, he doesn’t even apologize.
6 Felt Bad: When Kitty Was Too Strict With His Diet
There are very few things that bring Red Foreman joy and bacon and fried chicken are definitely the two things that he likes the most. After Red’s health scare, Kitty consults the doctor and makes him follow a really harsh diet with egg whites, ham, and some healthy picks.
It was especially difficult for Red because his family was not on his diet and would binge on grilled meats and bacon right in front of him. This worsened his general mood, and when he tried to cheat on his diet and snuck in a hamburger without telling Kitty, Hyde unwittingly ratted him out.
5 Hated Him: When He Prioritized His Car Over Kitty
Red loves his Corvette, but it’s possible that he loves that car a bit too much. Not only does he obsessively clean it all time, but also does not let anyone near it, let alone drive it.
This causes a rift in his marriage with Kitty because he would choose to spend time on the car over spending time with Kitty. In fact, he would even ignore guests and his family members for the sake of the Corvette. And when Kitty had enough, Red promises to take her out for a night out but takes her to a car exhibit.
4 Felt Bad: When Eric Got A Job Before Him
When Red was desperate to get a job, he applies to a managerial position at Pricemart. Eric also wanted to apply for a stock boy position but Red and Kitty both discourage him from doing so and ask him to focus on school.
After his interview, Red and the whole family wait by the phone anticipating to hear back from Pricemart with good news for Red. Pricemart does call but with a job offer for Eric, who had applied for the stock boy position unbeknownst to his family.
3 Hated Him: When He Grounded Eric
It goes without saying that Red’s style of parenting is unrelenting and overbearing. Red does not believe in positive reinforcements or in communicating his issues, but instead punishes Eric by making his life difficult whenever he does something wrong.
So when Eric tells his parents that he has occasionally been using marijuana, Red grounds both Eric and Laurie, nailing Eric’s window shut, and also stops letting his friends into their home. His concern as a parent is legitimate but there are so many other ways to deal with a problem like this instead of grounding teenagers and putting them under a curfew.
2 Felt Bad: When He Realized He Had No Friends
In Season 3 after Red goes through a near-death experience, he begins to think about how he has no real friends left. He blames himself and his prickly nature for not having a social circle, but tries to make amends by throwing a party to show people that he could be friendly.
Fans related to his anxieties because everyone has at some point felt alone and friendless and has had bad thoughts about dying alone. But building lasting friendships obviously takes time and it has to be an organic process, and a party alone can’t fix that, especially not for Red.
1 Hated Him: When He Didn’t Try To Understand Kitty’s Menopause
As Kitty goes through menopause, she undergoes some significant mood swings and hot flashes which often create a lot of tension in the Foreman household. While Red is patient about the whole thing he does not try to understand what’s really happening, which is baffling because a grown man should be fairly familiar with the idea of menopause.
He simply dismisses Kitty’s erratic behavior as a ‘lady problem’ and just tries to keep out of her way. But never actually tries to talk it out with her or help her out in a functional way.
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