After more than 20 years, The Simpsons appears to have dropped their strangling joke, and the creators have finally stated their position (sorta).
Homer strangling his son Bart anytime he was upset or furious was a running humour on the US comedy.
It was generally the result of Bart misbehaving in some fashion, to which Homer would reply by yelling, ‘Why you little!’ and grabbing him by the throat.
The joke was introduced at the conclusion of the first episode, and it is now in its 35th season, so it has had a rather lengthy run.
The characters in the show realised that it was an outmoded punishment, and in the third episode of the 35th season, Homer vowed never to use it again.
The admission occurs as Homer and Marge welcome a new family to Evergreen Terrace and the patriarch extends a handshake to the other father.
When Homer’s new neighbour compliments him on his firm handshake, he goes to Marge and says, “The years of strangling the boy paid off.”
However, the Simpson patriarch turns back to his new friend, saying: ‘Just kidding, I don’t do that anymore – times have changed.’
Because of the scene, many people felt we wouldn’t see Homer become physical with Bart again, and the choice was welcomed.
The cartoon’s creators responded in a lighthearted manner on X, previously Twitter.
‘Homer Simpson was unavailable for comment as he was busy strangling Bart,’ they typed.
Homer Simpson was unavailable for comment as he was busy strangling Bart. pic.twitter.com/Yh6koeqTQS
— The Simpsons (@TheSimpsons) November 9, 2023
Along with the statement, they sent a black-and-white image of Homer strangling Bart by The Simpsons creator Matt Groening. They put a spin on Homer’s catchphrase in a speech bubble emanating from his lips. ‘Why you little clickbaiting-!!’ it says.
In Bart’s left hand, he’s holding a mobile phone with the words: ‘Simpsons: No more strangling’ indicating that Homer is actually mad at the world for assuming, rather than his son.
Reactions to the news that it’s staying were mixed.
‘Unrepentant, Just how we love it,’ responded one fan. Another added: ‘It’s good to see cartoons still being cartoons.’
Others, on the other hand, did not believe it was good news that strangulation was here to stay.
‘Why is it a good thing this joke stayed?’ one person asked. ‘It was barely funny when I was a kid.’
This was in the new episode pic.twitter.com/YakrqxomM1
— Alex (@MintyChipAlex) November 10, 2023
Others pointed out that it was already back on the show, with a Homer-cloned Kirk strangling a Homer-cloned Milhouse, and offered screenshots to prove it.
The final instance of Homer strangling Bart occurred in 2019, during the 31st season.