Herbert has received mixed reviews from critics, who have expressed varying opinions on the pedophilia-related humor involving the character.

[5][6] In "Play It Again, Brian" (season 6, 2008), Herbert is hired by Peter and Lois to babysit their children Chris, Stewie and Meg.

Herbert accepts the offer, claiming he will wear his "snazziest duds", erupting into the song "All I Need is the Girl" (though modified to reflect his unrequited affection for Chris).

[7][8] He claims to have no interest in Meg in large part due to her age and gender,[9] and is disappointed when she is the only one of the three to bathe him: becoming visibly frustrated and exclaiming "aw, rats!"

[7] Herbert has a grand-niece, Sandy, whom he helps attract Chris in the style of Cyrano de Bergerac in "Valentine's Day in Quahog" (season 11, 2013).

Some examples of this attracting to other local boys include season 3 episode 8 "From Method to Madness" where Herbert announces that "It must be [his] birthday!"

when a young male nudist walks by him in a shopping mall, and season 19 episode 13 "Peterminator", wherein he is seen singing the Guns n' Roses song "Sweet Child o' Mine" for a boy he refers to as "Nathan M".

[17] In the creation process, Herbert was not originally a pedophile; Henry pitched the idea to the writers of the show, leading to the decision to make him one.

Henry based Herbert's voice and appearance on an elderly man he met when he worked in a grocery store when he was in high school.

Part of Herbert's appeal is his ability to seamlessly integrate sexually suggestive comments into regular conversation without being noticed by authority figures".

[4][18] In their review of "Blue Harvest", a retelling and parody of the 1977 film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, recasting the show's characters into Star Wars roles, IGN criticized the choice of putting Herbert in the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, stating that it never creates any actual humor.

", IGN commented that Herbert would be perfect to play Major Toht and Hogwarts' new Defence Against the Dark Arts instructor should Family Guy ever decide to make parodies of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Harry Potter, respectively.

[20] A February 2015 article written by Hanh Nguyen for TV Guide listed pedophilia among the 12 biggest taboos shown on Family Guy, naming Herbert as the "creepiest of all" references to the disorder.