5 Simpsons Cameos That We Knew Immediately & 5 That Made Us Say That Was THEM?!

5 Simpsons Cameos That We Knew Immediately and 5 That Made Us Say “That Was THEM?”

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for guest star roles on “The Simpsons” that we recognized right off the bat versus those that took a little Googling. We won’t, however, be looking at celebrities with recurring roles in the animated series, such as Kelsey Grammer’s Sideshow Bob.

#5 We Knew Immediately: Lucy Lawless as Herself
“Treehouse of Horror X”

From 1995 until the show’s end in 2001, Lucy Lawless was the title role in “Xena: Warrior Princess.” While she’s appeared in several other series since, such as “Battlestar Galactica” and “Parks and Recreation,” Xena will forever be connected to the New Zealander’s legacy. In the “Simpsons’” episode “Treehouse of Horror X,” Lawless played herself in her Xena character at a convention before she’s abducted by The Collector, AKA Comic Book Guy as a supervillain. She spends most of the time pointing out that she’s not Xena, but an actor. After superpowered Bart and Lisa help free her and the other celebs, Lawless beats The Collector with a move we just know her character would have loved.

#5 Surprised Us: Michelle Pfeiffer as Mindy Simmons
“The Last Temptation of Homer”

Diehard fans of “The Simpsons” will remember Mindy Simmons’s introduction in “The Last Temptation of Homer” and how the family was nearly destroyed. Brought in as the nuclear power plant’s first woman employee, Homer finds himself attracted to Mindy. Essentially a lady version of himself, they get very close, even having a “Lady and the Tramp” moment with a chili dog. The actress behind Mindy is none other than Pfeiffer! Best known for her work in “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” “Batman Returns,” and the MCU, the performer was quite the coup for “The Simpsons” given that, a year before her episode aired, she’d received her third Oscar nomination.

#4 We Knew Immediately: Lisa Kudrow as Alex Whitney
“Lard of the Dance”

In the late ‘90s, Lisa Kudrow was cast as Alex in the episode “Lard of the Dance.” Instantly recognized for her iconic voice, Alex is introduced as a new pupil at Springfield Elementary School, who Lisa (the character, not the actress) takes under her wing. We even get a nod to Kudrow’s “Friends” role when she tells Lisa to not be a Phoebe. Thanks to Kudrow’s excellent delivery, her character is likable and a lot of fun, serving as a nice reminder of the idea that it’s okay to take your time growing up.

#4 Surprised Us: Ben Stiller as Garth Motherloving
“Sweets and Sour Marge”

In the 2002 episode “Sweets and Sour Marge,” the matriarch of “The Simpsons” goes on a mission to improve the health of Springfield citizens. When she realizes the Motherloving Sugar Corporation has put sugar in the town’s food, Marge meets with the CEO, Garth. He’s exactly what you think the CEO of a sugar company might act like – like an evil Willy Wonka, or something. Even though we’ve seen this episode so many times, we had no idea prolific comedy actor Ben Stiller lent his voice to the series, much less to this awful character.

#3 We Knew Immediately: Gary Coleman as Himself
“Grift of the Magi”

When a celeb cameos as themselves in a series, it’s only heightened by their willingness to ruthlessly mock themselves. Case in point: Coleman in “The Simpsons.” Known for his child star work in “Diff'rent Strokes” and “The Gary Coleman Show,” he debuted in the episode “Grift of the Magi.” Working as a bad security guard at Kid First Industries who talks on a phone that’s not plugged in and practices martial arts, Coleman eventually helps the Simpsons save the town from the evil Funzo toys by battling one. He was even a guest at their Christmas dinner. Cute. Coleman made his mark several times in other episodes as himself, albeit briefly, but always in memorable ways.

#3 Surprised Us: Johnny Cash as the Space Coyote
“El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)”

With an incredible music legacy that Cash has, many of which left a somber mark on us – looking at you, “Hurt” – it's surprising to know he also dabbled in acting. His last character role, where he wasn’t playing himself, was the 1997 “Simpsons” episode, “El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer).” After Homer consumes an unholy amount of Guatemalan insanity peppers from a chili competition, he hallucinates. This leads to the appearance of his spirit guide, known as the Space Coyote, whom Homer calls “Wolfy.” The Cash character tells Homer to find his soulmate. After a long search, he endearingly realizes he already found her in Marge.

#2 We Knew Immediately: Barry White as Himself
“Whacking Day”

Sometimes, animated shows bring in a soundalike when parodying a famous person. However, when the dulcet tones of White rang out during his guest appearance in “The Simpsons,” everyone knew it was the real deal. Popping up in the 1993 episode “Whacking Day,” White is there to open the snake-beating festivities in Springfield before coming to understand what the event actually entails. Lisa, desperate to stop the horrific tradition, uses White’s singing to save the snakes. White followed this with a brief appearance a couple of episodes later in “Krusty Gets Kancelled.”

#2 Surprised Us: Meryl Streep as Jessica Lovejoy
“Bart's Girlfriend”

Early Bart showed little interest in girls. Causing havoc in the community leaves little time for such matters, after all. That all changed in the aptly named 1994 episode, “Bart’s Girlfriend.” While at church, he becomes enchanted by Reverend Lovejoy’s daughter, Jessica. Bart then spends ages trying to be good… only to find out Jessica clearly has a thing for bad boys. You’d have never guessed it from listening to Jessica’s voice alone, but it belongs to none other than three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep. Unfortunately, Streep only got behind the mic for that one episode.

#1 We Knew Immediately: Mark Hamill as Himself
“Mayored to the Mob”

Since the airing of this episode, we’ve had the “Star Wars” and “Guys and Dolls” mash-up song “Luke, Be a Jedi” stuck in our heads. It’s a cartoon classic with the wonderful work of Hamill. The performer makes an appearance at a convention as his Luke Skywalker character. But, when the fans cause a riot, Homer steps into the role of bodyguard, saving Hamill and Mayor Quimby, and landing himself a job with the latter. The play-on-words with the forks line has to be one of the most memorable jokes in the show’s history.

#1 Surprised Us: Michael Jackson as Leon Kompowsky
“Stark Raving Dad”

This is a weird one, as four people were technically involved in the one character. In the 1991 episode “Stark Raving Dad,” Leon Kompowsky is a patient at an asylum who claims he’s the legendary singer, Michael Jackson. Yet, if you look at the credits, you’ll see his voice was provided by John Jay Smith. This, as it turns out, was actually a pseudonym for Jackson, who did really lend his voice to Leon’s speaking lines, as he was reportedly a big fan of the show. The pseudonym was used due to contractual restrictions, which is also the reason Kipp Lennon was brought onboard to impersonate Jackson’s singing for Leon. By the time we hear the character’s “real” voice, it’s Hank Azaria who’s taken over.

Who would you like to see guest star on “The Simpsons”t? Matt LeBlanc? Miriam Margolyes? Jensen Ackles? Let us know below!