If you ever wondered if The Simpsons has run into trouble with its own network over any of its jokes, Comic-Con provided some answers. It also provided a little political edge after Donald Trump was brought up on the stage and Simpsons creator Matt Groening led the crowd in a chant of “lock him up,” something that has been used in reference to Hillary Clinton several times during the long death march known as Election 2016.
Thank you to all who came out to see us at #SDCC2017 today! #TheSimpsons pic.twitter.com/izIjxyL33n
— The Simpsons (@TheSimpsons) July 22, 2017
Trump entered the discussion due to a fan asking if there had ever been a celebrity who had been turned down for a guest appearance on the show according to The Wrap:
After pausing for a moment, executive producer Al Jean replied, “Let’s just say he’s the president of the United States.”
Former Simpsons writer Bill Oakley added his thoughts on Twitter, thanking the heavens that a Trump appearance never came to be. It’d be weird now that the guy is president, looking back at clips of Homer Simpson learning business from Trump who is a rival to Homer’s brother and a good friend of Mister Burns. At least that’s where my Trump fan fiction goes to.
https://twitter.com/thatbilloakley/status/888974531758444544
Groening also talked a bit about how the show had run afoul of Fox News after making a few jokes about the network and racism according The Hollywood Reporter:
Groening revealed that they had been asked by parent company 21st Century Fox to take it easy on Fox News after a joke that dubbed Fox News “not racist, but No. 1 with racists.”
“Then Bill O’Reilly called us pinheads and look what happened,” Groening added with a laugh of the now-ousted anchor.
Long gone are the days when Homer Simpson could hang out with a president and have a good time. Also long gone are the days where a president would appear on the show bare assed in a tube of fluids, thankfully. It’s odd to see the show get so overt with its political humor in recent years, but that is just a sign of times.
(Via The Wrap / The Hollywood Reporter)
