The Simpsons is closing a controversial door
Running for 34 years, amassing over 750 episodes, The Simpsons has accumulated more than a few running gags that feel as synonymous with the show as its titular family of five. But one ongoing joke, in which dad Homer strangles son Bart, is apparently coming to an end.
The Simpsons premiered on Fox in 1989 and stars Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Julie Kavner as his wife Marge, Nancy Cartwright as the oft-strangled Bart, Yeardley Smith, and several actors contributing to the voice of baby Maggie. The practice of Homer strangling Bart dates back to the show’s origin and the program has now run long enough to see the gag end.
The October 22 episode of season 35 of The Simpsons, titled “McMansion & Wife,” showed Homer and Marge meeting with the family’s new neighbor named Thayer, voiced by Hank Azaria. After they shook hands, Thayer noted that Homer had “quite a grip.”
To this, Homer joked with Marge, “See, Marge, strangling the boy has paid off.” Then, he continued, “Just kidding. I don’t do that anymore.” With a smile, Homer then added, “Times have changed!”
Fans of the show who have kept up with it might have noticed that, actually, Homer had been dropping the habit for a while, with PEOPLE noting that the last time he throttled Bart was in season 31, which ran from 2019 to 2020, which itself represents the transition to a different time on a whole other level.
The Simpsons as a show has long gotten tangled in controversial territory, from its condemned casting of white actors as characters of color to its presentation of characters who might encourage slacking. Educators even outright called Bart a “threat to learning,” and of course his strangulation by Homer is at the heart of another divisive feature of the show.
In 1992, then-President George H. W. Bush said, “We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons.”
Online, fans are reacting to this particular deviation from controversy. After news spread that The Simpsons would no longer show Homer strangling Bart, one viewer celebrated, “I knew my man Homer was gonna learn.” Another agreed, “I just found out that, after over 30 years, The Simpsons has finally retired their long-running gag of Homer strangling Bart. Took them long enough lmao.”
Another, however, said, “Really? Got rid an iconic gag from The Simpsons? Now I’m glad I did stop watching their newer content in 2016.” Another agreed, “It’s an iconic gag they can’t just get rid of it.”
While some were glad to be rid of what they saw as scenes of child abuse made into a joke, and others mourned the loss of a longtime joke, another user took a different view and said, “Holy, did people not understand that the strangle parts criticised child abuse? No wonder The Simpsons became shallow and flat. The ‘new’ creators dont think in depth anymore.”
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