Fans of “The Simpsons” may have gotten the wrong message from an Oct. 22 episode of the 30-plus year animated series, so the show’s co-creator has a message to clear up any confusion.
Homer has not given up strangling Bart.
“Nothing’s getting tamed. Nothing, nothing, nothing,” James L. Brooks, “Simpsons” co-creator, told People. “He’ll continue to be strangled—[if] you want to use that awful term for it. He’ll continue to be loved by his father in a specific way.”
According to People, fans began to wonder if Homer had given up his strangling ways after he met a new neighbor named Thayer, played by Hank Azaria.
Thayer noted in the episode that Homer had “quite a grip.”
“See, Marge, strangling the boy has paid off,” Homer quipped to his wife Marge. “Just kidding. I don’t do that anymore.” Smiling, he added, “Times have changed.”
Maybe in other places they have, but not in Springfield.
“Don’t think for a second we’re changing anything,” Brooks said.
Brooks then showed an illustration of Homer strangling Bart, who was holding a smartphone with a headline that read, “Simpsons: No more strangling.” Text in a word bubble showed Homer yelling at his son, “Why you little clickbaiting-!!”
While it may seem there’s no lack of strangling, according to IGN, Homer last strangled Bart on screen in the 2019 to 2020 season.
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