The Simpsons have quietly retired a recurring scene from their hit animated film.
Although some things never seem to change in the iconic Fox series, some adjustments have been made over the series’ three-decade history.
To keep up with modern times, new episodes no longer feature the very common scene of Homer strangling his son Bart.
It is one of the sitcom’s most recurring gags, occurring whenever Homer’s child does something wrong.
As he calls out to Bart, “Why are you little?”, he puts his hands around Bart’s neck and squeezes him so far that you can see his son’s eyes bulging.
Gag: The Simpsons revealed they scrapped scenes of Homer strangling Bart because “times have changed”
Speak up: The reason for the scenes’ removal was addressed in the latest episode of the sitcom’s 35th season.
But that hasn’t happened for a long time – and that was discussed in the latest episode of the sitcom’s 35th season.
In the third episode, titled “McMansion & Wife,” a new family joins Evergreen Terrace.
In the clip, Homer is seen introducing himself to Thayer, who notices how firm the patriarch’s handshake is.
“That’s quite a move,” Thayer exclaims.
“See Marge? “It paid off strangling the boy,” Homer joked, but immediately added, “Just kidding.” I won’t do that anymore. The times have changed.’
The gag was addressed in a Season 22 episode titled “Love Is a Many Strangled Thing,” in which therapist Dr. Zander tries to make Homer realize his mistake when he strangles his child.
In the episode, the great basketball player confronts Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a friend of Dr. Zander, Homer and teaches him what it feels like to be “young, small and scared” by mercilessly strangling him several times.
Although the method traumatized Homer, it did not prevent a strangling act with Bart from occurring in subsequent episodes.
Fans of the iconic sitcom were quick to comment on X, with many praising the choice.
One person wrote: “I knew my husband Homer would learn.” “He’s a smart guy,” another user replied: “It took 36 years but he finally learned.”
A third reiterated: “To be fair this was under Disney as they wanted family friendly branding for The Simpsons.”
“Good to know Homer realized how wrong that was. Just wondering what made him realize that,” another added.
“This is progress,” wrote another.
Changes: When introducing himself to the new character Thayer, Homer joked, “See Marge?” “Stragging the boy paid off,” but immediately added, “Just kidding.” I’m not doing that anymore
Praise: Fans of the iconic sitcom were quick to comment on X, with many praising the ultimate choice
It’s not the first time The Simpsons has come into the spotlight due to controversy – one of the most prominent was the character of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
Apu is the manager of the Kwik-E-Mart supermarket in the animated series – and although he is Indian, he is voiced by a white actor, Hank Azaria, which eventually led to some backlash.
The Simpsons creator Matt Groening responded to the criticism back in 2018, claiming people “love to pretend to be offended.”
When asked if Groening had reflected on criticism of the character as a Native American stereotype, Groening told USA Today, “I’m proud of what we’re doing on the show.”
“And I think it’s a time in our culture where people like to pretend they’re offended.”
The show addressed the Apu controversy in an episode that aired in April 2018 – a response that also sparked a backlash.
In the episode, Marge attempted to remove any references that might offend someone from a children’s book she purchased.
She reads the book to her daughter Lisa, who finds it boring.
“Something that started decades ago and was applauded and harmless is now politically incorrect,” Lisa says, turning to a picture of Apu engraved with the words “Don’t have a cow.” ‘What can you do?’
“Some things will be done at a later date,” says Marge.
“If anything,” says Lisa.
When asked what this exchange meant, Groening said: “We’ll let the show speak for itself.”
He also noted that when the show began, it was “part of the fall of civilization.”
“I felt like the controversy at the start of the show was, again, people pretending to be offended by Bart’s very mild cheekiness. I knew it would pass.’
Iconic: The Simpsons, created by Matt Groening, released in 1990
Azaria said in an interview on The Late Show that he was “completely willing and happy to step aside or help transform the character into something new.”
“The idea that anyone, young or old, past or present, has been bullied or teased because of the character of Apu really saddens me,” he told Stephen Colbert.
“That certainly wasn’t my intention.” I wanted to spread laughter and joy with this character and the idea that it brings pain and suffering in some way, that it serves to exclude people, that it is “upsetting.”
Azaria also said he had nothing to do with the show’s response to the criticism and disagreed with it.
He added that listening to South Asian and Indian people is most important and called for greater inclusion in The Simpsons writing room.
“I really want to see Indian and South Asian writers in the room, not just in a symbolic way, but to really inform what new direction this character might take, including the way she is voiced or not,” Azaria added.
“I’m perfectly willing and happy to step aside or help turn this into something new.”
“I really hope The Simpsons does that and that it not only makes sense but just feels right to me.”
The Apu controversy erupted following the release of a documentary film titled “The Problem with Apu” in November 2017.
In the documentary, Hari Kondabolu, an actor and comedian of Indian origin, denounced the character’s distinct accent and other stereotypes about South Asians.
Both Azaria – who voices numerous characters in the series, including Chief Wiggum, Moe and Comic Book Guy – and Groening declined to appear in the documentary to answer questions.
Controversy: Another scandal is that Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the manager of the Kwik-E-Mart supermarket, is voiced by a white actor, Hank Azaria
Open: Azaria said in an interview on The Late Show that he was “completely willing and happy to step aside or help transform the character into something new.”
However, Azaria later told a TMZ reporter that Kondabolu “made some really interesting points” and “gave us a lot to think about on The Simpsons.”
Another controversial tidbit occurred in early 2021 – when The Smiths rocker Morrissey slammed the sitcom after he was parodied during an episode.
During the Season 32 episode “Panic On The Streets Of Springfield,” Lisa Simpson was seen making an imaginary friend in the form of depressed singer and vegetarian Quilloughby from indie band The Snuffs, who appears to have a crush on Morrissey, 61. was ajar.
Quilloughby was seen expressing his disdain for everything before transforming from a young musician whose style resembled Morrissey’s ’80s look to a gray man with a bulging belly – described as the “real” counterpart to Quilloughby became.
And shortly after the Fox show aired, a statement was posted on Morrissey’s Facebook account expressing his disapproval of the character, which was voiced by Oscar-nominated actor Benedict Cumberbatch.
The statement said: “Surprising what a turn for the worst the writing of The Simpsons TV show has taken in recent years.”
“Unfortunately, The Simpson Show initially provided great insights into the modern cultural experience, but has since degenerated into an attempt to capitalize on cheap controversy and spread malicious rumors.”
“Making fun of issues is one thing. Other shows like SNL still do a great job of finding ways to inspire great satire.
“But when a show stoops so low as to use brutal, hateful tactics, like showing the character Morrissey with his stomach hanging out of his shirt (even though he never looked like that at any point in his career), you wonder who the really hurtful racist is.” Group is here.
“Even worse: calling the Morrissey character a racist without pointing out specific cases does nothing. It only serves to insult the artist.’
He then shed light on the controversies of the series itself, particularly in regards to Hank Azaria’s apology for voicing the Indian character Apu.
Slammed: Smiths rocker Morrissey delivered a scathing attack on The Simpsons after being parodied in a 2021 episode (Morrissey pictured in 2015)
Parody: The executive producer of The Simpson has shared snaps of the character named Quilloughby, who he would only say is parodying “someone.”
Friend: During Panic On The Streets Of Springfield, Lisa was seen making an imaginary friend in the form of the depressed singer and vegetarian Quilloughby
Anger: Shortly after the show aired, a statement was posted on Morrissey’s Facebook account expressing his disapproval of the character, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch
The statement further said, “You should take this mirror and hold it up to yourself.” Simpson actor Hank Azaria’s recent apology to all of India for his role in perpetuating “structural racism” says it all.
“Unlike the character in the Simpson episode “Panic”…….
“Morrissey never stole money, sued anyone for his attacks, never stopped putting on great shows, and is still a serious vegan and strong supporter of animal rights.”
“By suggesting all of this in this episode… The Simpson’s hypocritical approach to their plot says it all.”
“Really, they are the only ones who have stopped creating and instead become unapologetically hurtful and racist.”
“It’s no surprise that The Simpsons’ ratings have fallen so much in recent years.” (sic)’