Top 10 Times The Simpsons Caused Outrage

“Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane has the deepest respect for “The Simpsons” and Matt Groening. After all, the Griffins probably wouldn’t exist without them. However, MacFarlane expressed frustration when Fox cut a gag in a Season 6 “Family Guy” episode where Quagmire and Marge Simpson… um “giggity.” Quagmire subsequently shoots Marge and the rest of the Simpsons. The scene eventually surfaced in reruns and DVD. In a commentary, MacFarlane criticized the network for removing the joke when “The Simpsons” had taken numerous shots at “Family Guy.” Fox apparently wanted to end the quote-unquote “feud” between the two cartoons, which MacFarlane says isn’t even real. MacFarlane suspects that Fox was afraid of James L. Brooks’ reaction, leaving this episode’s first act without a joke to conclude on.

#9: The National Hockey League

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Hitting a new low in Season 9, Krusty the Clown finds himself at the bottom of a bottle, a glass slipper, and the Stanley Cup. Krusty seemingly reaches his limit after taking a huge swing, spewing into hockey’s most treasured prize. According to Mike Scully, the crew received some, quote “kind of a cease and desist” letter from the NHL in response. Taking the advice of a, quote “cool Fox lawyer,” Scully and company decided to ignore the letter… sort of. The Stanley Cup would resurface in the background the following season after Homer and Ned go on a crazy bender in Vegas. Whether or not this is an intentional callback to Krusty’s bender, the Stanley Cup has seen its fair share of vomit.

For decades, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon was among Springfield’s most popular residents. In recent years, though, the character has divided audiences with some believing that he’s had a negative impact on Indians and South Asians. This debate arguably started to gain traction with comedian Hari Kondabolu and his 2017 documentary, “The Problem with Apu.” Speaking with people of Indian and South Asian descent, Kondabolu found that he wasn’t the only one who views Apu as a problematic stereotype. “The Simpsons” addressed the controversy in Season 29, albeit briefly, sparking more heated discussions. While the conversation continues, Hank Azaria officially stepped away from voicing Apu in 2020 and made an apology the following year. The future remains unclear for the Kwik-E-Mart proprietor, but Kondabolu’s criticisms were definitely heard.

Frank Sivero isn’t a household name, but you might remember this Italian-American character actor from such films as “The Godfather Part II,” “New York, New York,” and “The Wedding Singer.” You might even notice a certain resemblance between Sivero’s “Goodfellas” character, ​​Frank Carbone, and Springfield mob enforcer, Louie. At least, Sivero did, leading to a $250 million lawsuit. In 2014, Sivero accused “The Simpsons” of copying his character, as some of the writers apparently lived next door to him while “Goodfellas” was being developed. The judge threw the case out the following year, finding that Louie satirized mob characters in general. Ironically, Dan Castellaneta claims that he drew inspiration for Louie’s voice from Sivero’s “Goodfellas” co-star, Joe Pesci. Isn’t that funny?

In many cases, celebs take it in stride when they’re mocked or parodied on “The Simpsons.” This wasn’t at all the case with English singer Morrissey. In a Season 32 episode, Benedict Cumberbatch voiced Quilloughby, who’s modeled after Morrissey. Lisa builds up a version of Quilloughby in her mind, but she finds that the actual singer is nothing like she imagined. Quilloughby turns out to be prejudiced, overweight, and strapped for cash because he sued so many people for criticizing him. Things kind of came full circle, as Morrissey responded, quote “The hatred shown towards me from the creators of The Simpsons is obviously a taunting lawsuit, but one that requires more funding than I could possibly muster in order to make a challenge.”

From New Orleans to Australia, “The Simpsons” has ignited controversy around the world. In one of the most infamous cases, Fox nearly faced legal action for the show’s send-up of Brazil. In a Season 13 episode, the South American country is portrayed to be overrun with crime, stereotypes, and colorful rats. The Rio de Janeiro tourist board wasn’t at all pleased, although their supposed plans to sue Fox likely wouldn’t have held up in court. Nevertheless, James L. Brooks issued an apology to Rio and its people, calling them, quote “lovely.” Being part of the Simpsons crew, though, Brooks jokingly added, quote “if that doesn’t settle the issue, Homer Simpson offers to take on the president of Brazil on Fox’s Celebrity Boxing.”

Before they were the biggest names in primetime animation, the Simpsons got their start in short form on “The Tracey Ullman Show.” In Season 2, Ullman lent her voice to dog trainer Emily Winthrop and the family’s neighbor, Sylvia Winfield. The following year, however, Ullman took out a lawsuit against Fox. While Ullman did receive $58,000 in royalties for the cartoon, the comedian believed that she deserved a bigger cut of the revenue, $2.5 million to be precise. As Ullman put it, “I breastfed the yellow people.” Ullman might have given the Simpsons their start, but the court ultimately sided with the network. Nevertheless, Ullman has spoken fondly of “The Simpsons” since then, even appearing on the 20th Anniversary Special.

#3: Fox News

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“The Simpsons” has never shied away from making fun of the Fox network, but that’s nothing compared to the times they’ve thrown shade at Fox News. A Season 14 episode took several shots at the right-leaning network through a news crawl. Among the headlines are “Pointless news crawls up 37 percent” and “JFK posthumously joins Republican Party.” Although Fox News claims otherwise, Groening says that the network threatened legal action. Figuring that Fox wouldn’t sue itself, “The Simpsons” got away with the joke. However, Fox told the show not to use any more fake news tickers, fearing they may be confused for real ones. That didn’t stop “The Simpsons” from cracking more Fox News jokes, attracting outrage from Bill O’Reilly in 2010.

“The Simpsons” got off to a rocky start with First Lady Barbara Bush, who called the show, quote “the dumbest thing [she] had ever seen.” Mrs. Bush had a change of tune after receiving a thoughtful letter from Marge Simpsons… well, technically “The Simpsons” writers. President Bush apparently wasn’t so easily won over, vowing to, quote “to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons.” The show promptly responded with a jab at Bush’s role in the early 1990s recession, but it didn’t end there. When the Bushes moved across the street from the Simpsons, a brawl between George and Homer was inevitable. It also paved the way for multiple jokes about his one-term presidency.

Despite being the show’s creator, Groening hasn’t been satisfied with every creative decision. Along with Harry Shearer, Groening criticized the notorious “Principal and the Pauper” episode. Groening was especially critical about a crossover with another James L. Brooks-produced animated series. Created by “Simpsons” writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss, “The Critic” had a short run. It’s perhaps best remembered for a “Simpsons” episode where Jay Sherman came to Springfield. Groening thought the episode was a blatant advertisement for “The Critic.” When he failed to get the crossover pulled, Groening had his name removed from the credits. Groening has seemingly mellowed out about crossovers since then, as the Simpsons have now clashed with “Family Guy,” “Futurama,” “The X-Files,” “24,” Lego, “Star Wars,” and the Marvel universe.