Summary Red Forman wasn't the first character to say his iconic catchphrase "dumbass" in That '70s Show; it was actually his son Eric. The word is first used by Eric in Season 1, Episode 5, when he sarcastically calls his boss a "dumbass" at Fatso Burger. Eric's use of Red's catchphrase first in the show highlights the parallel between father and son, which becomes even more apparent in That '90s Show.

Red Forman's iconic catchphrases in That '70s Show have occasionally been uttered by other characters, but he wasn't even the first one to say his most common insult. While many characters in That '70s Show have established iconic catchphrases, such as Fez's "I said good day!" or Kelso's "Burn!," the most notable are those that come from Kurtwood Smith's Red Forman. His frequent sayings, such as his threat to put his foot in another character's rear end, have even been carried into Netflix's spinoff series That '90s Show, whether uttered by himself or another Forman family member.

Almost exclusively used to describe his son Eric and the teens who used to hang out in his basement in the 1970s, Red most notably says the word "dumbass," or a similar iteration of the insult, throughout That '70s Show. When his 15-year-old granddaughter Leia Forman moves in with him during the summer of 1995, Red transfers this word to the next generation of Point Place teens as Eric's daughter and her friends become subject to this insult.

However, as iconic as Red's "dumbass" catchphrase is in both That '70s Show and That '90s Show, the first time the word is heard in the series, it isn't Red saying it.

Eric Is The First Character To Say "Dumbass" In That '70s Show, Not Red

Red's son Eric Forman was actually the very first character to say "dumbass" in That '70s Show, which is ironic considering how often Red later directs the word at him.

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