The Simpsons: the reason why Homer will no longer strangle Bart

The Simpson Apparently they have retired the old joke in which Homer Simpson strangled his son Bart.

In the third episode of season 35 titled McMansion & Wifewhich aired on October 22, Homer declares to Marge that he has changed his ways when they visit their new neighbor, Thayer.

As Homer introduces himself with a handshake, Thayer comments on his grip. “Look, Marge, strangling the kid was worth it,” Homer replies. “Just kidding, I don’t do that anymore. The time has changed”.

The clip has since circulated online:

What does this change mean?

Although this dynamic has been part of the essence of The Simpson for many years, this change is significant. The last time we saw Homer strangling Bart in the series was in season 31 (2019-2020). However, the series has addressed the issue of violence between parents and children on several occasions.

An example of this can be found a few seasons ago, precisely in season 22. In the episode titled Love is a Many Strangled Thing, Homer attends a “class” and experiences firsthand the sensation of being strangled by a larger man. This trauma leads him to stop strangling Bart. However, in another season 24 episode, titled Love is a Many-Splintered Thing, Homer returns to his old method of punishment, strangling Bart in front of his friend Milhouse.

The Simpsons have recently reworked their roles to suit modern sensibilities, specifically the Indian character Apu, who was previously voiced by the white actor Hank Azaria. A gay character, Julio, was also modified in 2021.

Speaking about this process, the creator of the program Matt Groening He told the BBC: “The times change. But I didn’t really have any problems with the way we were doing it. “All of our actors play dozens of characters each, it was never designed to exclude anyone.”