Posted in: Fox, Preview, Trailer, TV | Tagged: Bart Simpson, fox, Homer Simpson, the simpsons

The Simpsons Co-Creator on Homer/Bart: "Nothings's Getting Tamed"

Responding to the Homer/Bart strangling "controversy," The Simpsons co-creator James L. Brooks shared that nothing between them has changed.

It was the line that nearly broke a very clearly bored social media. During the October 22nd episode of FOX's The Simpsons ("McMansion & Wife"), Homer comments on his "interesting" parenting skills before adding, "I don't do that anymore. Times have changed." What? Huh? After years of venting his frustrations at his son by wrapping his hands around his throat, did this mean that Homer saw the error of his ways and would no longer strangle Bart? It didn't take long for social media to chime in, with some folks praising the move as finally removing a child abuse aspect from the long-running animated series. Others saw the line as a sign of "wokeism" making its way into the Emmy Award-winning series. Well, it didn't take long for the show's executive producers to offer a reality check on the situation (more on that below) – but just in case that was too vague, series co-creator James L. Brooks made it crystal clear that this was much ado about nothing. "Nothing's getting tamed. Nothing, nothing, nothing … 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," Brooks clarified during a conversation with PEOPLE.

In between the online back-and-forths, some fans noted that FOX's The Simpsons hasn't featured Homer strangling Bart for a few years now – reportedly, not since Season 31. But it was the show's executive producers who had the most important perspective to add in all of this – and it seems like what they're saying is that maybe folks need to calm down. Along with an image of Homer strangling Bart (and saying to him, "Why you little clickbaiting…"), the executive producers added the following caption to a post that they shared last week after the social media "controversy" broke: "Homer Simpson was unavailable for comment as he was busy strangling Bart." So we're thinking that maybe folks read into that line and projected some personal stuff onto the animated series a little too much? Here's a look at the post from earlier:

Here's a look at the official trailer for the 35th season, with the animated series already set to return for a 36th season – continuing its run as the longest-running scripted series in television history:

The longest-running primetime scripted show in television history, THE SIMPSONS exploded into popular culture in 1989 and has remained one of the most groundbreaking and innovative entertainment franchises, recognizable throughout the world. HOMER (Dan Castellaneta), MARGE (Julie Kavner), BART (Nancy Cartwright), LISA (Yeardley Smith) and MAGGIE are instantly identifiable television icons. Rounding out this cast of characters are many beloved Springfield residents, including tavern proprietor MOE SZYSLAK (Hank Azaria) and nuclear power plant owner MR. BURNS (Harry Shearer).

FOX's The Simpsons is a Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Television. The executive producers are James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, and Matt Selman. The Gracie Films Worldwide Brand Division develops and produces the licensed content for the series.

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