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The Simpsons has obviously showcased countless thinly-veiled celebrity parodies over the years — from the Raffi-like children’s singer Roofi, to the diminutive George Lucas lookalike Randall Curtis, to Steven Spielberg’s “non-union Mexican equivalent” Señor Spielbergo, who directed A Burns for All Seasons.

But only a few members of the show’s core group of Springfieldians are blatant caricatures of famous people, like Mayor Quimby who’s seemingly a stand-in for Ted Kennedy. And heavyweight champ Drederick Tatum, who is just Mike Tyson minus the ear-biting scandal.

Then there’s Rainier Wolfcastle, star of the McBain franchise and co-owner of Planet Hype. It didn’t take much detective work to...

You can't keep a good Simpsons matriarch down... or up in heaven for that matter.

The Simpsons recently ended its 36th season on Fox with a flash-forward episode revealing that Marge Simpson (voiced by Julie Kavner) has gone to her great reward — in this case an afterlife where she's married to Ringo Starr. Far from being thrilled for her eternal soul, fans freaked out about Marge's future fate. And their fury forced executive producer, Matt Selman, to go on the record reminding everyone that death is an elastic concept in the show's animated universe.

"The Simpsons doesn’t even have canon," Selman told Variety on Thursday. "Since the The Simpsons future episodes are all speculative fantasies, they’re all different every time. Marge will probably never be dead ever again. The only place Marge is dead is in one future episode that aired six weeks ago."

The Simpsons gather...

Former 20th Century Fox creative executive Mike Southerly will make his feature film writing and directorial debut with “Where We Meet.”

The indie romantic comedy, from Fishbowl, will star Madison Shamoun and Jake Short.

The official logline of “Where We Meet” reads, “When a Black conservative (Shamoun) and a white liberal (Short) meet by chance on an LA hiking trail, their ideological differences challenge everything they knew about themselves and turns an ordinary day into a winding, emotional journey. One that challenges their beliefs, sparks an unexpected connection and changes them both in ways they never imagined.”

Southerly has more than 30 years of experience in motion picture advertising. As executive vice president of creative advertising at 20th Century Fox, he spearheaded global campaigns for “The Simpsons Movie” and the “X-Men” franchise. He also held a lead position at Trailer Park before joining forces with Jim Hale at Fishbowl in 2023.

Shamoun...

Fans of The Simpsons, and more specifically, of 2007's The Simpsons Movie, there's some bad news for you. Despite the first movie being critically acclaimed and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of that year, there are still no plans to make a sequel to The Simpsons Movie. "The first movie killed us," TheSimpsons creator Matt Groening says when addressing the possibility of repeating the feat that took the beloved Springfield family to the big screen.

Per a report by Screen Daily, Groening was present at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival with The Simpsons Movie director David Silverman, and series writer and showrunner Matt Selman. The trio presented a preview of the animated series' upcoming 37th season. Additionally, they each offered their own opinion on the possibility of a sequel based on the popular series. It was Groening who revealed that the experience of making the first movie was...

Comments from the Annecy International Animation Film Festival saw The Simpsons co-creator Matt Groening explain why the long-awaited The Simpsons Movie 2 continues 18 years after the historic success of The Simpsons Movie. The Simpsons is the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show in history, and with 790 episodes in its back catalog, it is fair to say the series isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Despite this, 2007’s The Simpsons Movie remains the show’s lone theatrical outing.

Speaking at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, co-creator Matt Groening explained to ScreenDaily why the sequel is taking so long. Asked about The Simpsons Movie 2, Groening said:

“The first movie killed us. We don’t have a ‘B team’; we did the movie and continued doing the series at the same time… We even had a countdown clock on the wall—we called it The Simpsons death clock—counting down the months, weeks,...

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening says the team behind the series are “always talking” about a second movie, but there are no plans beyond informal discussions.

“The first movie killed us,” said Groening, speaking to Screen at Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where he received an honorary Cristal yesterday. “We don’t have a ‘B team’; we did the movie and continued doing the series at the same time.

“We even had a countdown clock on the wall - we called it The Simpsons death clock – counting down the months, weeks, days, seconds til we had to have the movie finished.

Disney's live-action remake of Lilo & Stitch has had a phenomenal run at the box office so far. The movie passed the coveted half-billion mark at the worldwide box office in just nine days, and the $600 million milestone in 10. It's poised to become the Mouse House's first billion-dollar blockbuster since Moana 2 last year, in addition to providing respite for the studio following the underperformance of three films in a row this year — Snow White, Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts*. None of these movies was able to pass the $500 million milestone at the global box office.

But, in hitting the $610 million mark this weekend, Lilo & Stitch overtook a bunch of animated films such Wall-e, The Boss Baby, and The Simpsons Movie. This past weekend, Lilo & Stitch also surpassed the $592 million lifetime global haul of Tangled, which was originally released 15 years ago, in 2010. Featuring the voice talents...

After a record-setting debut over the Memorial Day frame, Disney’s Lilo & Stitch remake retained its crown this weekend. The movie is inching closer to a humongous domestic box office milestone, but has passed the coveted half-billion mark at the global box office in 10 days flat. In doing so, it has overtaken past Disney films such as Dumbo, Oz the Great and Powerful, and Kenneth Branagh’s 2015 remake of Cinderella. Remarkably, Lilo & Stitch out-grossed the recent Snow White remake’s entire run in its opening weekend.

With over $280 million domestically and another $330 million from overseas markets, Lilo & Stitch’s cumulative global haul stands at $610 million. The movie was produced on a reported budget of $100 million, which is relatively low for the kind of tent pole that it is. For instance, last year’s Mufusa: The Lion King cost over $200 million to produce, while the disastrous Snow White remake is...

It’s no secret that the linear TV industry has been in a state of contraction. But during a time when shows often have a lifespan of one to four seasons, there’s been one behemoth quietly holding down the fort: adult animation.

“The Simpsons” and “South Park” have always been giants. But in recent years, the subgenre of animated half-hour programs aimed at adults has truly exploded. Demand for titles like “Rick and Morty” increased 152% between January 2020 and October 2023, according to Parrot Analytics. This was partially due to the Covid pandemic, but that fandom has continued, not just in terms of viewership but merchandising revenue, convention panels and a vibrant online community around most titles.

And this isn’t just a niche fandom. Two of Fox’s “Animation Domination” darlings — “Family Guy” and “Bob’s Burgers” — ended 2024 as the No. 3 and No. 4 most-streamed TV shows, respectively. During that year, “Family Guy” secured 42.4 billion viewing minutes,...

For 35 years, Bart Simpson’s blue-haired best friend, Milhouse Van Houten, was voiced by the same actor, Pamela Hayden, on Fox’s The Simpsons. Hayden announced her retirement in November 2024 after appearing in nearly 700 episodes of the beloved cartoon, prompting the question of who would take over the role of Milhouse. Hayden also voiced the bully Jimbo Jones on the show in addition to the nerdy Milhouse.

The wait is over now as, per Entertainment Weekly, singer Kelly Macleod will take over as the voice of Milhousestarting with the 36th season finale of The Simpsons set to air Sunday, May 18. The episode, titled “Estranger Things,” is described per the official summary as, “When Bart and Lisa stop watching Itchy & Scratchy together, Marge fears that they’ll start to drift apart…but she has no idea how bad things are about to get.”

Kelly Macleod’s Debut

However, Milhouse fans shouldn...

The latest episode of "The Simpsons," season 36's "Stew Lies,' features an opening storyline between Lisa and Bart that wraps up surprisingly fast. Bart tries to drive Lisa crazy by repeating everything she says, committing hard to the bit even after days, weeks, and months have passed. At first, Lisa is annoyed, but she decides to use the opportunity to improve Bart's life. She gets him to learn the saxophone, learn another language, and perform better at school. By the end of the first act, Lisa reads aloud a heartfelt letter to her brother that celebrates their sibling bond, while a moved-to-tears Bart copies along with her. 

It's a storyline so sweet it makes me uncomfortable. (My cold and bitter heart can no longer handle things so pure.) Luckily for the more cynical "Simpsons" fans, this opening Bart/Lisa storyline is quickly scrapped for the main storyline about Homer...

“The Simpsons” has dropped its latest exclusive Disney+ episode, and this time around Springfield is going wild in a National Geographic-inspired installment. Can you say corporate synergy?

Though it’s called “Yellow Planet” — a clear reference to BBC One’s award-winning “Blue Planet” series — a press release for the episode specifically notes that the installment is a “National Geographic-style nature mockumentary.” All the citizens of Springfield are transformed into various wild animals as a British narrator documents their various journeys. Homer and Marge appear as two different species of whales; Bart hatches as an iguana; and Lisa the finch leads her flock. You get the idea.

“Yellow Planet” joins other Disney+ episodes such as “The Past and the Furious” and the two-part “O C’mon All Ye Faithful.” It’s one of four Season 36 episodes that are exclusively available on the streamer. Select episodes from Season 36 are currently available on...

There are enough stars that have cameoed in "The Simpsons" to cover the entire Springfield Walk of Fame and back again. Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, U2, and Daniel Radcliffe (who has voiced more than one character) are just some of the names that've shared the animated space with Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and the rest of that beloved family. Three names that you have never seen on the end credits, however, were three iconic action heroes that were scheduled to make an appearance but unfortunately never did: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis.

It turns out that the heroes who dominated the silver screen in the '80s and early '90s never swung by the home of 742 Evergreen Terrace, even after they were explicitly written into an episode. Season 5, episode 10 of "The Simpsons," entitled "$pringfield," saw Mr. Burns (Harry Shearer) open a casino, and Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Willis agreed...

Exclusive: Pam Levine, who recently exited Disney Branded Television and National Geographic as Head of Marketing, is going to Netflix as VP, Ucan Marketing & Publicity. This executive move, I understand, was always in the works for a while.

At Netflix, Levine will oversee all publicity and marketing for U.S. and Canada film and series, and report to chief marketing officer Marian Lee.

An internal memo about this is imminent, I hear, at the streamer.

Levine, a former 20th Century Fox and HBO marketing chief, joined Disney General Entertainment in June 2022. In the role, she led an integrated internal agency that spanned brand and creative marketing, strategy, publicity, media planning, digital/social, events, talent relations and awards, supporting content created for Disney+ as well as the Disney- and National Geographic-branded linear networks.

Her big campaigns at Disney Branded Television included Percy Jackson & the Olympians; The Descendants series; Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,...

It’s Sunday in New Orleans, and James L. Brooks has manners on the mind. The 84-year-old, who has maxed out his multihyphenate talents over the course of a legendary career that’s still firing on all cylinders six decades later, is in the Big Easy for reshoots on Ella McCay, the 20th Century Studios comedy that marks his return to the director’s chair after 15 years, and he’s thinking about how people respond to him in public.

“The thing about New Orleans is that when you make eye contact with somebody, that person is going to smile at you and say something pleasant,” he says with a grin of his own over Zoom. “That’s how the manners are here, and it’s amazing to be around. I’m going to try and make that happen in Los Angeles when I go home. I’ll let you know how the experiment works out.

The Simpsons. (Image courtesy the Walt Disney Company)

The Walt Disney Company has launched an around-the-clock content stream that offers marathon viewing of the hit animated sitcom “The Simpsons” on its streaming platform Disney Plus.

The 24-hour stream will offer non-stop episodes of The Simpsons pulled from the show’s catalog of 767 episodes across 35 seasons. In a press release on Tuesday, Disney said the content stream will offer “nearly 300 continuous hours with the Simpsons family.”

“From day one, the fans have asked for a stream of The Simpsons, and we’re happy to oblige,” Gabe Lewis, the Senior Vice President of Programming and Content Curation at Disney Plus, said in a statement. “

“Streams on Disney Plus have been a fantastic go-to experience for subscribers looking to sit back and relax with their favorite shows and movies, and we look forward to evolving the user experience and expanding the offering with more streams,...

As of today, March 18th, the Disney+ streaming service has launched a 24/7 stream of the animated series The Simpsons, with the 767 episodes that make up seasons 1 through 35 programmed to be shown in chronological order. As a press release notes, “This means a total of nearly 300 continuous hours with the Simpsons family.”

As for why they decided they should have a 24/7 stream of The Simpsons, the streaming service’s SVP of Programming & Content Curation, Gabe Lewis, explains, “From day one, the fans have asked for a stream of The Simpsons, and we’re happy to oblige. Streams on Disney+ have been a fantastic go-to experience for subscribers looking to sit back and relax with their favorite shows and movies, and we look forward to evolving the user experience and expanding the offering with more streams, to more subscribers, later this year.“

Matt Selman, The Simpsons showrunner and binge-watcher, added: “The Simpsons...

It couldn’t possibly be easier to watch The Simpsons than it is on Disney+, where all seasons are streaming alongside many shorts and specials…but for those who are completely lazy or just very indecisive, the House of Mouse has made it even easier to switch on to the Springfield family with just one click. From today, March 18, Disney+ has added a 24-hour stream that will initially feature all 767 playing in chronological order. For those who can’t do the quick math, that is almost 300 hours of Simpsons content playing in a continuous loop.

“From day one, the fans have asked for a Stream of The Simpsons, and we’re happy to oblige,” said Gabe Lewis, SVP of Programming & Content Curation, Disney+. “Streams on Disney+ have been a fantastic go-to experience for subscribers looking to sit back and relax with their favorite shows and movies, and we look forward...

Amazing news has been announced for fans of The Simpsons. Now, it's going to be easier than ever to put on the series and let classic episodes stream all day long, or even all week long, if one so desires.

Starting on March 18, a new 24/7 always-on Stream channel will be available on Disney+ for The Simpsons. All 767 episodes making up the show's first 35 seasons will be programmed to stream in chronological order at launch. This means nearly 300 continuous hours of The Simpsons can be played automatically.

“The Simpsons Stream will deliver a Simpsons marathon all day, every day — no matter when you tune in, this ultimate Simpsons binge will be there,” The Simpsons showrunner and binge-watcher Matt Selman said of the news in a statement.

The Simpsons Will Be Streaming 24/7 on Disney+

Gabe Lewis, the SVP of Programming & Content Curatio for Disney+, added, "From day one, the fans have asked...

Beginning today, Disney+ will add a new 24/7 always-on Stream for The Simpsons with 767 episodes across seasons 1-35 programmed in chronological order at launch. This means a total of nearly 300 continuous hours with the Simpsons family.

“From day one, the fans have asked for a Stream of The Simpsons, and we’re happy to oblige,” said Gabe Lewis, SVP of Programming & Content Curation, Disney+.

“Streams on Disney+ have been a fantastic go-to experience for subscribers looking to sit back and relax with their favorite shows and movies, and we look forward to evolving the user experience and expanding the offering with more Streams, to more subscribers, later this year.”

“The Simpsons Stream will deliver a Simpsons marathon all day, every day — no matter when you tune in, this ultimate Simpsons binge will be there,” added Matt Selman, The Simpsons showrunner and binge-watcher.

The Simpsons Stream, featuring a programming lineup that will...

"The Simpsons" is one of the best TV shows in history, and certainly one of the most influential. It's an American institution that changed both animated comedy and animation on TV forever. It also set a standard for how to build a lived-in fictional television universe, creating a large ensemble of side and background characters (like Harry Shearer's Dr. Marvin Monroe) that make Springfield feel like a living place.

For over 35 years, "The Simpsons" has delivered half-hour episodes of television that are heartfelt, outrageous, and hilarious. The show has also commented on and lampooned both contemporary sociopolitical issues and pop culture in all its forms, whether it's anime, indie film darlings, or classic horror stories. Indeed, it seems no movie, TV show, or book out there is safe from being parodied by "The Simpsons," just as there's seemingly nary a famous person who can avoid eventually paying a visit to Springfield.

Some of history's most successful animated shows have taken it upon themselves to go a step further and tell stories in a feature-length format. "The Simpsons" and "Bob's Burgers" created their own movies. "South Park" went "Bigger, Longer and Uncut" on the big screen, and dipped into movies again years later when they planned 14 films for Paramount+. Even "Futurama" sent the Planet Express team on four cinematic adventures before those were split up and turned into a sixth season. However, while all these animated escapades have transpired over the years, one beloved animated sitcom, complete with a homicidal infant and crude cutaways, has refrained from the same treatment. "Family Guy" still hasn't had a proper movie, but it's not for a lack of trying. According to show creator Seth MacFarlane, it's simply because his schedule is too jam-packed to send the Griffins off on a whirlwind adventure that would require a movie ticket.

The creative team for The Simpsons has shown time and time again that they can predict real-world events or other fictional works, to an eerily degree. Although these started as jokes, life would imitate art and make these gags into reality. For example, Season 6, Episode 19 "Lisa's Wedding" from 1995 showed a future where people had smartwatches. Another example is when a poster of a new The Matrixfilm, titled "A Matrix Christmas", was shown in Season 15, Episode 14 "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner" back in 2004. This is a shocking prediction because the latest film, The Matrix Resurrections, was released in December 2021. Whether the writing team is from the future or has a crystal ball, The Simpsons have become well-known for how accurate their predictions are. While those were real-world examples, the franchise's first and only film, The Simpsons Movie, from 2007 might've also predicted one of the hit TV shows of 2025, Dan Fogelman’s Paradise.

With over 780 episodes across 36 years, Matt Groening's The Simpsons is the longest-running American animated show, the longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running scripted American primetime series. Initially developed as a series of cartoon shorts for The Tracy Ullman Show, the Simpsons family would become a worldwide phenomenon. Play the first few notes of the iconic TV theme song by Danny Elfman, and many people will be able to hum the rest of the tune without having seen an episode of the show. The Simpsons became a franchise as the characters went on to be featured in comic books, novels, video games, and just one movie (so far), simply titled The Simpsons Movie.

The Simpsons Moviewas an obvious success when it was first released in 2007. Not only did it manage to earn $536.4 million on a modest $75 million budget, but it also scooped up a ton of accolades during the awards season. As such, this popular yellow family certainly made their mark on the big screen.

Yet, with so many episodes to take inspiration from, it comes as no surprise that the team struggled to pick a plot for the first feature-length film. In fact, the writers allegedly had so much material that they could easily produce two more films. Therefore, a lot of fans believe that some of the scrapped ideas would have been better suited to the first Simpsons movie.

Bart and Lisa Attend the Summer Camp From Hell Season 4, Episode 1, "Kamp Krusty"

In Season 4, Episode 1, "Kamp Krusty," the eldest Simpson children are excited to visit a summer camp led by the infamous Krusty the Klown.

Today, Disney+ announced an all-new exclusive episode of The Simpsons that will premiere February 12 on the streaming service. The full-length episode titled “The Past and the Furious” is the next exclusive episode of The Simpsons debuting on Disney+.

In the exclusive full-length “The Past and the Furious” episode of The Simpsons, Lisa travels back in time to 1923 and discovers that the Springfield Mini Moose, once key to the town’s ecosystem, were driven to extinction in 1925.

Teaming up with young Monty Burns, Lisa works to save the moose, but her actions unintentionally shape his future as a ruthless tycoon.

In addition to 35 seasons of The Simpsons, Disney+ is also home to The Simpsons Movie and more than 10 shorts featuring the Simpsons family. All these and more can be found in The Simpsons collection on the streaming service.

The Simpsons, created by Matt Groening and developed by James L. Brooks and Sam Simon,...

As celebrities and entertainment corporations band together to aid the firefighting efforts in Los Angeles, iconic writer, producer and showrunner Mike Reiss wonders if Disney might be willing to buy up another piece of Hollywood in the name of good, for once.

When Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019, it also acquired the entire catalog of The Simpsons in the process, a content library that included the famous joke in The Simpsons Movie wherein Bart, rummaging through the luggage of strangers on a transcontinental train, emerges from his plunder wearing a brassiere atop his head in the style of a certain animal’s ears and remarks, “I’m the mascot of an evil corporation!”

But can a corporation really be all that evil if they use their insatiable urge to suck up more and more companies and properties both physical and intellectual to stop a natural disaster? Presumably, that’s...

Quick Links The Covid-19 Pandemic Prevented Bob's Burgers' Movie Success The Bob's Burgers Movie Is Enjoyable for First-Time Viewers The Bob's Burgers Movie Set the Tone for the Show's Later Seasons

Animated television shows have been known to dabble in the film medium from time to time. The Simpsons Movie is probably the most outstanding success story, being the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2007 with a box office total of $526.4 million. Others, like South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut in 1999, have also outperformed its budget in the theaters. So why did The Bob's Burgers Movie fail so badly financially?

Set in the same universe as the Fox television show Bob's Burgers, the film centers around the Belcher family in one of their more unusual catastrophes. A sinkhole opens in front of the restaurant Bob runs with his wife and children, forcing them to find new ways to repay the bank's loan. Meanwhile,...

The Simpsons boast some very impressive villains over the years, with the best ones juggling the show's sense of comedy with genuine thrills and threats. The Simpsons always works best when it's somewhere between grounded family dramedy and absurd silliness, which is reflected in the show's main characters. That extends to the characters who find themselves serving as antagonists, going up against the Simpsons in plenty of ways.

Many characters can easily slot into brief villain roles like Agnes Skinner, Snake Jailbird, and Luann Van Houten, but the show has always afforded them some extra depth to keep them more complex and adaptable. However, some characters in The Simpsons have been established primarily as antagonists, actively endangering the world and threatening the Simpsons in their plans. Some have only made one appearance, while others have been constants of the show since the earliest seasons. Here are the best ten villains...

“The Simpsons” and Christmas just go together.

There have been so many Christmas-themed episodes in the history of the series that there’s an entire collection dedicated to them on Disney+.

And there’s a new Christmas-themed “Simpsons” special for this year. That’s right – “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” is the first double-sized episode and it is, of course, built around the holidays., comes to Springfield to film a documentary – “A Derren Brown Christmas.” After Homer (Dan Castellaneta) admits to being a lousy gift-giver, Brown tries to hypnotize him but it backfires and Homer imagines himself to be Santa Claus. (Ralph Wiggum is his elf sidekick.) When Homer is outed as a fraud, it leads to a spiritual crisis in Ned Flanders (Harry Shearer). It is both very funny and surprisingly emotional.

Who made “The Simpsons: O C’mon All Ye Faithful?”

Both halves were written by Carolyn Omine,...

Today, Disney+ revealed the trailer for The Simpsons holiday special “O C’mon All Ye Faithful,” which will premiere December 17 exclusively on Disney+. Derren Brown guest stars in the holiday special.

The Christmas-themed double episode is launching timed to the 35th anniversary of The Simpsons original Christmas special, which aired on December 17, 1989. The trailer for the upcoming Disney+ exclusive special was also revealed.

In The Simpsons holiday special, famed British mentalist Derren Brown comes to Springfield and uses psychological tricks and showmanship to raise the town’s Christmas spirit. When Homer gets hypnotized and mistakenly believes he is Santa Claus, it sets off a cheery chain-reaction and causes everyone to question what they believe and to explore the meaning of “miracle.”

Featuring musical performances by Patti Labelle and Pentatonix, this special double episode marks the 35th anniversary of the original Christmas special from The Simpsons (“Simpsons Roasting on an Open...

Although The Simpsons set an extraordinary record when the show hit the big screen 17 years ago, Rick and Morty might just be able to match this achievement in years to come. The Rick and Morty movie has been in the works for some time, but the cult hit still hasn’t made the transition to cinema screens. Rick and Morty season 8 is set to arrive in 2025 and the rapturous reception of Rick and Morty season 7’s ending bodes well for its future, with its IMDb rating proving that Rick and Morty can still impress critics.

Related Rick and Morty Made Its Secret Thanksgiving Special Tragic (But Season 8 Can Change That)

Rick and Morty's secret Thanksgiving episode gave a happy ending to one fan-favorite character, only for subsequent seasons to tear this away.

That said, it would take a lot for Rick and Morty to successfully mount a feature-length theatrical movie debut.

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Bruce Springsteen on "The Simpsons"? Not yet, and if history holds, not anytime soon. The show has tried to get him as a guest star in many different episodes. There are apparently many Boss fans on the show's staff; voice actor Hank Azaria even has a Springsteen tribute band, "Hank Azaria & the Ez Street Band." Yet, Springsteen has turned down each and every offer.

It might be due to the bad experience the first time the show's creatives asked him. In a 1998 TV Guide interview, "Simpsons" writer Jay Kogen said he saw Springsteen by chance, so he went up and asked him to appear on the series. "He thought I was a maniac. We never heard from him," Kogen recalled.

The Springsteen "Simpsons" cameos that weren't meant to be include:

In "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish," Homer listens to a Bible on tape.

"The Simpsons" is one of the best TV shows of all time, and certainly one of the most popular and influential. With hundreds of episodes across 35 years, the show has covered countless stories, visited many different countries, and touched on just about every major holiday. Indeed, holidays are integral to the history of "The Simpsons," as the show's very first episode was a Christmas special (replacing the original idea for the pilot), and since then there have been many more Christmas-related episodes.

Of course, the holiday most closely related to "The Simpsons" in terms of episodes is Halloween, as we've had a horror episode every year since the show's second season (and some years even more than one) with various degrees of success. But for as many Treehouse of Horror episodes as there are, the opposite is true for Thanksgiving episodes of "The Simpsons," with most just barely touching on the holiday,...

"The Simpsons" has been running for thirty-six seasons, and even longer if you count the "Tracey Ullman" years, which means their list of celebrity guest stars has grown long. From Dustin Hoffman in season 2's "Lisa's Substitute" to John Cena in the season 36 premiere, the "Simpsons" writers have never shied from letting an A-lister stop by for the day. Most guest stars only perform for the show once or twice, often to play themselves, but sometimes, the guest star plays a character so memorable that keep coming back even thirty years later, like Kelsey Grammer with Sideshow Bob. 

For the show's creator Matt Groening, there are a few celebrities that have managed to stick out from the pack. When asked to name his three favorite guest stars in a 2021 interview, he named Albert Brooks, Werner Herzog, and Anne Hathaway. 

Of the three, Brooks is the least surprising. He played Hank Scorpio,...

One of the long-running stars on “The Simpsons” is retiring. Pamela Hayden, best known for voicing Millhouse, is stepping away from the series after 35 years.

“After much deliberation, I have decided to retire from ‘The Simpsons’ to pursue other creative outlets. Thanks to everyone for their love and support!” Hayden said in a statement.

To celebrate all that she’s done for the show, Fox’s Animation Domination block released a video praising the voice actor. “People are always saying what a nerd [Millhouse] is. But one thing that I love about Millhouse is he’s always getting knocked down but he keeps getting up,” Hayden says in the video. “I love the little guy. It’s this wonderful analogy for life.” Watch the full tribute to Hayden’s work below:

In addition to voicing Millhouse, Harden voiced Rod Flanders, Jimbo Jones and several other characters in Fox’s long-running animated comedy.

A longtime cast member of The Simpsons is leaving the show. This follows a run of voicing multiple characters for the beloved animated series for the past 35 years.

As announced by Fox in a video posted online, Pamela Hayden has retired from her role as a voiceover artist for The Simpsons. Since the start of the series, Hayden has voiced Milhouse, the highly quotable best friend of Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright). The video features Hayden addressing her time on The Simpsons while giving her praise for the great work she's done with bringing characters like Milhouse to life. Check out the video below.

Related 15 Weird Things You May Have Missed From The First Season Of The Simpsons

From Lisa's sax to Bart's biological father, there's a lot of weird and unexplained things in the first season of The Simpsons

Other characters voiced by Hayden include the bully, Jimbo Jones; Rod Flanders,...

“The Simpsons” voice actor Pamela Hayden, who played Milhouse and a variety of other characters, announced she is retiring from the show after 35 years.

Her final episode will be “Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes,” airing Nov. 24.

Hayden voiced Milhouse Van Houten, the blue-haired best friend of Bart Simpson, as well as the school bully Jimbo Jones, Ned Flanders’ son Rod (and sometimes his other son Todd), Chief Wiggum’s wife Sarah and Lisa’s friend Janey Powell.

She has been a mainstay on “The Simpsons” since its very first episode in 1989, and she is credited in 694 episodes of the animated sitcom, according to IMDb. Fox will now begin casting for her characters.

“People come up to me and they quote Milhouse lines,” Hayden said in a video announcing her retirement, which included a montage of Milhouse clips. “People are always saying what a nerd he is.

Making The Simpsons Movie must have been a daunting task. How do you honor nearly 20 years of iconic material in one 90-minute feature? Most recurring Simpsons characters got at least one moment to shine in the movie — from Krusty the Clown, to Hans Moleman, to Kent Brockman. And the movie even found ways to include brief cameos from more obscure characters like Itchy & Scratchy creator Chester J. Lampwick, and foul-mouthed puppet Gabbo.

Which makes it all the more strange that one of the show’s most well-known characters was absolutely nowhere to be found in The Simpsons Movie: Bart’s mortal enemy Dr. Demento Sideshow Bob.

Bob Terwilliger is obviously one of the keystones of the show’s mythology, but didn’t make the cut for the movie? This wasn’t always the plan, it turns out. Some story elements shifted around during production; the original villain of The Simpsons...

They don’t hand out awards for when you lose your mother, but if they did, Homer Simpsons’ trophy case would be full.

As Homer’s many experiences reconnecting with Mona before another untimely departure can attest, there aren’t many things in this world that are less funny than losing your mom. No matter what age you are when you experience this unique grief, it’s extremely hard to see how any joy can come out of such a loss, which is exactly why comedy savants like legendary Simpsons writer, showrunner and producer Mike Reiss get paid the big bucks: Nobody can do what they do quite as well as they do it.

Reiss sadly lost his mother recently, and, to celebrate her memory, he made an incredible joke that he thinks would have killed with his mom:

Reiss won the 1990 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One...

Matt Groening has been asked many times as to why he chose to make the Simpsons yellow, and he typically responds with some version of "I wanted them to look unique." For its first few seasons, "The Simpsons" were considered very strange and outré. Despite their popularity, they had a subversive, cynical punk sensibility that came to inform the art of the decade that followed. After enough time, though, the yellowness of the Simpsons became a widely accepted facet of their design, and they stopped looking quite as striking. Just as one might stop noticing that Mickey Mouse wears gloves, or Donald Duck has no pants. 

The color scheme of "The Simpsons" was always a little odd. The walls of the Simpsons' house, for instance, are pink, as is the Simpsons family car. Their TV is purple, and their carpets are a deep teal. Bart always wore teal shorts and a blood orange shirt,...

I don’t know what’s more surprising — the fact that the most influential and prolific writer in the history of The Simpsons has only given one interview in his entire life, or the fact that John Swartzwelder has a Twitter account.

The Simpsons writers’ room has long been a haven for the most brilliant and unusual minds in all of entertainment, with none more so than that of Swartzwelder, The Simpsons’ reclusive script-writing savant whose contributions to the show still stand unmatched through 36 seasons and counting. During his time on the show, Swartzwelder wrote a record 59 total episodes of The Simpsons, mostly remotely, all while chain-smoking cigarettes and guzzling gallons of coffee like a detective in a hardboiled crime novel. In 2007, Swartzwelder briefly returned to the series to co-write The Simpsons Movie before returning to his reclusivity, occasionally publishing an absurdist novel or short story from his isolation.

Then,...

Despite being released in 1994, Disney's original The Lion King movie still holds one specific plaudit when it comes to box office rankings, and the industry's huge changes in the last 30 years mean even the studio that made the movie probably won't be able to break its own record. Although there are a few harsh realities to account for when rewatching The Lion King, it's still widely regarded as one of the best Disney movies of all time. The Lion King made a huge splash when it was released, and it continues to be enjoyed today.

With a confirmed release date for Mufasa: The Lion King, the prequel to the rebooted version of the franchise is set to expand the saga like never before. Although the 1994 movie did have sequels, none of them came anywhere near the success of the first movie. In fact, the original's triumph remains one of the...

Just a few episodes into its 36th season, The Simpsons has dropped a short on Disney+ celebrating the advent of spooky season. Dubbed The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, the short is a parody of the beloved Christmas classic rewritten with a comic horror twist. Starring Kelsey Grammer as recurring Simpsons villain Sideshow Bob, the short also features villains from across Disneyand Disney-ownedfranchises. If youve ever wanted to hear Darth Vader or Thanos sing, this is the short for you.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year was co-written and produced by longtime franchise shepherd Al Jean. Jean is the longest-serving showrunner on The Simpsons and has been involved with the show in one capacity or another since the series debuted in 1989. Jean also co-wrote The Simpsons Movie and recently shared an optimistic update about a potential The Simpsons Movie 2.

Related The Simpsons' Series Finale Explained: Was That Really The Last Episode?...

It's no secret that The Simpsons has been through some rough patches over the decades. With 36 seasons under its belt, there were bound to be some hits and bound to be some misses. The best seasons of The Simpsons are typically considered to be within the first 10, but nostalgia is no reason to dismiss the gems that the later seasons have to offer.

Season 36 of The Simpsons premiered on September 29th, 2024, and it's been praised for having one of the funniest episodes in years. Given the high praise, many fans on social media have gone back to watch episodes from the middle seasons and have been pleased with their findings. Season 19, in particular, is one that many fans have been rediscovering and reappraising, and it makes perfect sense. Season 19 came immediately after the release of The Simpsons Movie, which is where it truly feels like they cracked the code. Directed by series regular David Silverman,...

The Simpsons kicked off its 36th season with a star-studded premiere. Episode 1, titled Barts Birthday, aired Sunday night, September 29th on Fox. The animated premiere special featured guest stars John Cena and Conan OBrien. Tom Hanks and Danny DeVito also appeared in the premiere episode, with DeVito having previously guest starred in The Simpsons as Homer's long-lost half-brother, Herb. WWE legend John Cena made his Simpsons debut in the opener, and it has now been revealed what he got up to when joining the residents of Springfield.

Having already dominated the wrestling world and Hollywood, Cena entered the world of The Simpsons to demonstrate his affinity for...delivering babies. In the episode, Cena enters the scene just as Comic Book Guy and his wife Kumiko suddenly find themselves in labor in the comic book store. While they panic, Cena walks in and reveals himself to be a licensed midwife...

With franchises now being the bread and butter of movie studios, nostalgia driving a new gold rush, and animation always being a reliable bet for studios, it's rather surprising that we still haven't had a sequel to "The Simpsons Movie." The first film remains a fantastic movie, a best-case scenario for bringing a cultural phenomenon from TV to the big screen and having the show continue rather than end with a big blockbuster finale. It should be noted, though, that it's not for lack of trying that we haven't gotten a sequel.

One of the biggest issues with "The Simpsons Movie" is its villain, a one-off character that feels a bit random considering there are already characters perfectly suited for the role of a big movie supervillain right there in the show — including one that almost made it into the film. Now, over 15 years after the "Simpson Movie" hit theaters,...

Ten years ago today, the television world went from “I can’t believe The Simpsons is still on the air…” to “I can’t believe The Simpsons is still on the air!” with one glorious, nostalgic, record-breaking binge watch.

On August 21, 2014, the newly founded basic cable channel Fxx, a comedy-focused expansion of FX Networks, launched their plan to drum up viewership, celebrate their acquisition of syndication rights for the The Simpsons and make television history with the start of a 12-day marathon of every Simpsons episode ever made up until that point, including a bonus airing of The Simpsons Movie. The 552-episode-long event broke the record for the longest consecutive TV marathon ever (not counting the commercial interruptions) as superfans and their families raced to the couch in order to catch their favorite Golden Age episodes during the “Every.Simpsons.Ever.” spectacular.

A decade later, the idea of a commercial-laden,...

Today at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, The Simpsons announced that season 35 of the hit animated series will launch on October 2 on Disney+.

The new season of the Emmy Award-, Annie Award- and Peabody Award-winning animated comedy takes fans back to Springfield for 18 more episodes of fun with the Simpsons family.

During The Simpsons panel, Matt Groening, Matt Selman, Al Jean, Mike Price, Brian Kelley, David Silverman, and Nancy Cartwright also announced that four never-before-seen episodes of the series will be made available exclusively to Disney+ subscribers.

This includes a special Christmas-themed double episode premiering December 17, timed to the 35th anniversary of the series’ original Christmas special. The four exclusive episodes, titled “The Past and the Furious,” “Yellow Planet,” and “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” — a Christmas double-episode — will debut in the months ahead on Disney+.

This October, Disney+ will also be home to an exclusive new Halloween-themed short from The Simpsons.

I don’t even really like cats, and yet here I am, slightly hungover on a Saturday morning, shoving popcorn in my face at one of New York’s finest cinemas watching hundreds of kitty videos back to back to back on the big screen.

Welcome to Cat Video Fest, which is less a festival than a film — well, a 73-minute medley of cat videos compiled from around the world and screened in more than a hundred movie theaters across the U.S. and Canada, to be exact. The event has grown steadily for the past few years. Its 2024 edition, held Aug. 3 and 4, netted $280,000, doubling its 2023 gross and raising nearly $30,000 for local animal shelters and welfare organizations. Due to the film’s success, nearly half of Cat Video Fest’s theatrical partners have added dates.

Cat Video Fest is headed by Will Braden, who helped curate the event with the...