12 Jokes From The Simpsons That Aged Terribly

“The Simpsons” has made many absurd predictions through the years which have really come true. Such premonitions have led some to imagine “The Simpsons” writing workers accommodates time vacationers who’re capable of see into the long run. However that principle does not maintain as much as scrutiny as a result of if that was the case, you’d hope they’d keep away from making some problematic jokes that would not age effectively.

It is pure for TV exhibits from the Eighties and ’90s to have bits that appear crude on reflection. It is really type of an excellent factor as a result of it exhibits simply how far society has come that making enjoyable of sure teams or concepts is now not acceptable. After all, not each joke ages poorly resulting from political correctness. Typically, a present makes a joke about one thing that is sensible within the second, however after a few years, folks neglect what it was even presupposed to be about. 

“The Simpsons” has each of a majority of these poorly-aged jokes. /Movie has already gone over the worst “Simpsons” storylines, however for this listing, we’re taking a look at particular person jokes that do not maintain up right now.

The occasions of September 11, 2001 modified the world on a large geopolitical scale. It additionally meant loads of films and TV exhibits needed to change sure issues, just like the climax of Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man.” Plus, one joke from Season 9’s “The Metropolis of New York vs. Homer Simpson” was reduce from reruns.

The episode sees the Simpsons journey to New York Metropolis in order that Homer can get his automotive again. It is parked between the Twin Towers, the place one man yells at Homer for fruitlessly making an attempt to take away the boot from his automobile. This causes one other man to yell at him after which clarify to Homer, “Sorry about that man. They stick all of the jerks in Tower One.” It was a innocent off-hand remark when the episode first aired in 1997, however after 9/11, it maybe got here throughout in poor style to have somebody insulting individuals who misplaced their lives that fateful day. 

Some imagine that whole episode is “The Simpsons” predicting the occasions of 9/11. That is not the case, however showrunner Al Jean admits the eerie coincidence (by way of NME): “Within the World Commerce Heart episode, [‘The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson’], there was a brochure studying $9 a day with an 11 styled up just like the towers. That was in ’96, which was loopy, like this insane coincidence.” Hopefully, if the “Simpsons” writers might’ve really predicted 9/11, they’d’ve been quite a bit nicer towards the oldsters in Tower One. 

This one may really maintain the report for the “Simpsons” joke that aged poorly the quickest. In “Itchy & Scratchy Land,” Homer and Marge wind up at Itchy’s ’70s Disco, the place Marge makes a remark in regards to the consideration to element, together with how the bartender seems to be like John Travolta. This causes the barkeep to say, “Yeah … seems to be like.” The joke is clearly that by the ’90s, Travolta was a washed-up film star who might’ve theoretically simply been working at some random amusement park. 

Nonetheless, Travolta fading into obscurity would not actually stay an idea for lengthy. “Itchy & Scratchy Land” first aired on October 2, 1994. “Pulp Fiction,” which noticed Travolta star as Vincent Vega and rejuvenated his profession, would come out simply 12 days later in america on October 14. Travolta would even get nominated for an Academy Award for his half, so if he ever wanted to bartend to make ends meet, these days had been behind him at that time. 

1994 was effectively earlier than the times of streaming providers, when folks might watch no matter episode they needed on-demand. Meaning, for probably the most half, if somebody did not see that episode proper when it aired, there was an excellent probability they would not see it till Travolta was a megastar once more. Granted, Travolta’s star has risen and fallen over the many years, so possibly the joke makes extra sense when his profession is in a downward spiral (taking a look at you, “Gotti”). 

Season 8’s “You Solely Transfer Twice” is generally identified for introducing the world to Hank Scorpio, probably the most pleasant supervillain ever who’s additionally accountable for one of many funniest moments within the historical past of “The Simpsons.” Homer begins working for him, even confiding that his lifelong dream is to personal the Dallas Cowboys. After quitting his new job and shifting again to Springfield, Scorpio helps Homer get a bit of nearer to attaining his objective by gifting him the Denver Broncos. Whereas Marge thinks it is “fairly good” to personal the Broncos, Homer is dismayed, insisting she does not know something about soccer. 

That is one other case the place the joke virtually instantly ages poorly. The episode got here out in 1996, when the Broncos had been, admittedly, having some fairly powerful seasons. Nonetheless, that was proper earlier than they’d back-to-back Tremendous Bowl wins in 1998 and 1999. Possibly Hank Scorpio knew one thing Homer did not.

Scorpio’s present turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Because the proprietor of the Broncos, Homer would’ve in all probability made fairly a bit of cash following these wins. Possibly proudly owning the Broncos explains why the household can afford such good issues and go on extravagant holidays.

“Past Blunderdome” is a captivating time capsule of an episode. The plot hinges on everybody loving Mel Gibson, a sentiment that may rapidly deteriorate in the true world resulting from a bunch of controversies. However in the meanwhile, he is the toast of tinseltown, and the Simpsons fly out to Hollywood in order that Homer may also help Gibson along with his subsequent film. The remainder of the household take a tour, with Marge stating, “Look, they’re making a film! Robert Downey, Jr. is capturing it out with the police.” After this, Bart notes, “I do not see any cameras.”

The late ’90s might have been good for Gibson, but it surely was a turbulent time for Downey, who was within the throes of drug dependancy. He was arrested on a number of events and even hung out in county jail and finally state jail. The joke pokes enjoyable at Downey continually being a supply of tabloid fodder on the time, but it surely would not be lengthy earlier than Gibson and Downey traded perceptions within the normal consciousness. 

Downey finally received clear and targeted on performing once more with “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” a task that may assist him land a number one spot in “Iron Man,” and the remainder is cinematic historical past. I say it is excessive time for a “Past Blunderdome” remake the place Homer helps Downey with a brand new film whereas Gibson is on the fringes doing one thing unsavory. 

Nelson has overwhelmed up Milhouse loads of instances through the years. It is an intrinsic a part of their dynamic as bully and dweeb; nonetheless, none of his beatings have ever left such a nasty style within the mouth as a lot because the one on Season 8’s “Lisa’s Date With Density.”

Lisa develops a crush on Nelson and enlists Milhouse’s assist in giving Nelson a notice. Milhouse, regardless of having his personal crush on Lisa, agrees, however when Nelson reads it, he realizes it was handed right down to him by Milhouse. The scene abruptly cuts to Milhouse getting rolled out of the varsity on a stretcher, with the implication being Nelson beat him up so laborious he needed to go to the hospital. 

The concept is that Nelson beat him up notably laborious as a result of he believed Milhouse had the crush on him, not Lisa. It is nothing in need of a violently homophobic act, one thing that was tragically frequent within the Nineties however usually will get unnoticed of recent media that takes place through the decade. It is powerful to look at the episode right now realizing the type of abuse gay youth face on a regular basis. What’s even worse is that Lisa nonetheless needs so far Nelson even after seeing him be such a violent homophobe. Possibly Lisa is not as woke as all of us thought. 

“Homerpalooza” is all about Homer feeling out of contact with the younger folks. It is a traditional storyline the place he needs to show to his youngsters that he is hip. The plot facilities on Homer’s relationship with music, which entails him going to a report retailer and never realizing any of those newfangled bands (for the ’90s) like 9 Inch Nails and Sonic Youth. As an additional demonstration of simply how out of contact Homer is, he brings up Apple Computer systems to the shop clerk, who fires again, “What computer systems?”

It is actually odd to suppose Homer could be extra educated a couple of main tech firm’s existence than a younger child, however in 1996, when the episode got here out, Apple was in dire straits. The start of the yr noticed the corporate lay off 1,300 staff and reporting substantial monetary losses. It was unclear if Apple would even be round for much longer, however the age of ubiquitous web was quickly upon us. Apple merchandise are a part of every day life, and this joke now makes the cashier look like he is been residing beneath a rock for his whole life. 

To be honest, it is laborious to carry a grudge towards “Homerpalooza” an excessive amount of. It additionally accommodates this gem of a line from Mr. Burns: “And to suppose, Smithers. You laughed after I purchased TicketMaster. ‘No person’s going to pay a 100% service cost.'” TicketMaster continues to be the bane of any concertgoer’s existence, in order that “Simpsons” joke continues to be painfully related. 

The next slide accommodates references to sexual assault.

Within the “Treehouse of Horror XVI” phase, “I’ve Grown a Costume on Your Face,” everybody in Springfield transforms into no matter they had been carrying Halloween evening. Bart turns into a werewolf. Lisa turns into Albert Einstein, and Chief Wiggum turns into Jared Fogle from Subway, which is now extra horrifying than the rest in that installment. 

The gimmick might have appeared innocent in 2005 when it aired, however in 2015, Fogle was arrested on prices of acquiring little one pornography and interesting in sexual acts with minors. He pled responsible to these prices and was sentenced to fifteen years in federal jail.

Chief Wiggum being Jared is one factor, but it surely’s his line that actually sends this second excessive when he declares: “I am Jared from the Subway adverts. I am solely a bit of chubby and sexually ambiguous.” His sexual preferences did not stay ambiguous for lengthy. It is dangerous sufficient there is a Fogle reference wherever, but it surely’s such a disturbing line to have Wiggum say in hindsight. 

For those who or anybody you already know has been a sufferer of sexual assault, assist is accessible. Go to the Rape, Abuse & Incest Nationwide Community web site or contact RAINN’s Nationwide Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

“The Simpsons” has an abysmal observe report with regards to correct trans illustration. So usually, trans characters have been relegated to one-off gags, comparable to Helen Lovejoy eager to boast about having a trans cousin named Stanlerina.

Simply, one of many worst trans jokes on “The Simpsons” comes on “Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo.” Homer and Marge attend a seminar to learn to dwell massive with out spending quite a bit, and the host explains all the assorted methods he is saved cash, like shopping for a yacht that smells like cat pee. He additionally factors out that he is surrounded by stunning ladies in a picture as a result of “they was males.” It is dangerous sufficient the road suggests trans ladies are inferior or “a discount” in comparison with cis ladies, however the line is adopted up by the sound of utter disdain by the viewers. That they had no downside with him crusing on a urine-smelling yacht, however being round trans ladies was a step too far for some motive. 

Very like Nelson beating up Milhouse for being perceived as gay, this joke exhibits simply how informal transphobia was within the ’90s. And if you need a deeper dive into simply how prevalent this challenge is on the sitcom, try the unbelievable breakdown inside Lily Simpson’s video essay, “The Trans Failure of The Simpsons.”

“You Solely Transfer Twice” has not one however two jokes that rapidly did not make sense shortly after the episode got here out. When Bart and Lisa arrive at their new college, there is a signal studying “Cypress Creek Elementary College” together with a URL for “http://www.studynet.edu.” “The Simpsons” has loads of nice signal gags, comparable to “Sneed’s Feed & Seed Previously Chuck’s,” however this one simply does not make sense watching it right now. 

There’s nothing all that comical in regards to the URL itself, and that is as a result of the joke is {that a} college having a web site in any respect could be one thing unusual and out of the strange all by itself when the episode debuted in 1996. “Simpsons” showrunner on the time, Josh Weinstein, remarked on the DVD commentary of simply how misplaced it quickly grew to become, calling it “one of many present’s most clearly dated jokes.”

These days, each college has a web site, even when they don’t seem to be as superior as Cypress Creek. Though I suppose this might virtually be seen as an anti-joke nowadays, the place viewers count on the varsity signal to say one thing humorous, but it surely’s probably the most humdrum factor conceivable. 

“There’s One thing About Marrying” tries to normalize the concept of homosexual marriage whereas utterly invalidating the existence of trans folks in a reasonably baffling approach. The episode sees Springfield legalize homosexual marriage earlier than it was permitted nationwide. Homer begins marrying anybody who needs to get married, and Patty comes out as lesbian to her sister, Marge. Up till this level, Marge has been fairly accepting of the gay neighborhood however has a tough time accepting her sister’s identification, particularly when she reveals she’s already engaged to a different girl — Veronica. 

However not all the things is because it appears, as Veronica seems to be a person. That is not me being transphobic — within the context of the present, Veronica (whose actual title is Robin) is a person pretending to be a girl to excel in ladies’s golf. In the previous couple of years, ladies’s sports activities has been a battleground challenge, as conservatives attempt to forestall transgender ladies from competing by insisting they’ve an inherent benefit. 

The bit reinforces the terrible notion that transgender ladies are actually simply pretending to have sports activities careers. It is a dangerous look, particularly because the trans neighborhood faces more and more hostile discrimination. It is excessive time “The Simpsons” has correct trans illustration with a personality that does not make folks cringe years later. 

Out of all of the Oscar winners “The Simpsons” might’ve chosen for this bit, they needed to go together with Dr. Haing S. Ngor.

On “Group Homer,” Homer bemoans that his bowling crew will seemingly lose an upcoming event, which is a disgrace as a result of he simply constructed a trophy case. We then see stated case, and the one trophy in it in the meanwhile is an Oscar belonging to Dr. Haing S. Ngor, along with his title crossed out and Homer’s written in. The episode got here out on January 7, 1996, and in case you watched it at first, it simply appeared like they picked an Oscar winner at random. Ngor gained for finest supporting actor for his work on “The Killing Fields,” a noteworthy achievement seeing as Ngor had by no means acted earlier than that movie. Nonetheless, tragedy struck not lengthy after the episode premiered. 

On February 25, 1996, Ngor was killed exterior of his Los Angeles dwelling. Stories initially steered it was a botched theft, however additional investigations recommend there might have been political motivations behind the homicide. Both approach, Homer now having Ngor’s Oscar felt in dangerous style, particularly with an implication that Homer might have robbed (and killed) Ngor to get the statue. Reruns and the model of “Group Homer” you now discover on Disney+ modified the bit to the place the Oscar belonged to Don Ameche. He gained for finest supporting actor for “Cocoon” and had already died in 1993, which means there was no approach Homer might get blamed for his loss of life in-universe. 

I believe little one abuse is incorrect. Maintain your applause, I am no hero for saying that. And because the years have gone on, it has been more and more troublesome to disregard the myriad instances Homer has violently strangled Bart. As a result of them being cartoon characters, it is maybe simpler to disregard or just wave off as a easy gag, however Homer continually attacking Bart, which matches ignored by Marge and the remainder of Springfield, simply appears troublesome. 

The present has dialed again on Homer strangling Bart in recent times, with Homer even making an off-hand remark in a single episode about how he would not try this anymore since instances have modified. This led to loads of media consideration over whether or not the custom would finish, with the “Simpsons” inventive crew assuring the world the strangles would proceed. 

Even the Season 36 premiere introduced again this problematic gag, albeit with Homer attacking Bart inside an AI-generated simulation. Regardless that “The Simpsons” has modified with the instances in sure methods, it is nonetheless caught in 1989 in sure facets. At some point Homer might cease bodily hurting Bart, but it surely’s not right now.