Seine unerwiderte Liebe und verheimlichte sexuelle Neigung waren für mehr als zwei Jahrzehnte ein Running Gag. Smithers verheimlicht sein Doppelleben lange Zeit; ein tatsächliches Coming-out gibt es erst in der 27. Homer makes it his mission to find Mr. Smithers a boyfriend in the April 3, 2016 episode “The Burns Cage” of "The Simpsons. Waylon Smithers’ sexuality has long been an open secret in The Simpsons, so why do a ‘coming out’ episode 27 series in, asks Kate McCabe. According to Us Weekly magazine, Smithers will disclose his sexuality to Mr. Burns, his not-so-secret crush, after 27 years of innuendos in “The Burns Cage.” Although the majority of Springfield know that Smithers is gay, this episode, entitled 'The Burns Cage,' will see him coming clean with his long-apparent feelings for his ignorant boss. Sideshow Bob running for mayor as the candidate of a goofily exaggerated Limbaugh-era Republican Party was one example; Homer meeting a new gay friend (played by John Waters!) Even though Smithers coming out is one of the most expected—and looked forward to—moments in the series' recent history, the making of this particular episode is … When Smithers was a baby, his father, Waylon Smithers, Sr., was Burns's assistant until he died of radiation poisoning after saving Springfield from a potential nuclear meltdown, making Burns the closest thing to a father figure for him. Smithers is finally coming out as gay to Mr Burns. The Simpsons, in its 27th season, wants to change with the times—as, after all, it always has. I think we’ve just made the reality so elastic that they’ve clearly had girlfriends. At no point does Smithers ever tell Mr. Burns those three simple words: “I am gay.” He doesn’t need to. But in life that happens sometimes: What we want isn’t exactly what will make us happy. After almost thirty years secretly pining after his boss, Waylon Smithers has finally come out of the closet. Posted on 15/04/2016 For the first time in a long time, there was a media buzz around an episode of The Simpsons . Smithers to come out in episode inspired by Simpsons' writer's gay son. Credit: Share Share Tweet Email. He doesn’t want money. He does get something from Burns at the end of the episode that means a lot to him — he says Smithers’ work is excellent; it’s really the first nice thing he’s said to him — and that’s enough. Staffel (Episode 17, Ein Käfig voller Smithers). By signing up you are agreeing to our, Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health and more, © 2021 TIME USA, LLC. It was confirmed last month that in episode ‘The Burns Cage’ airing April 3, Smithers will finally come out as gay. An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. As anticipated, Waylon Smithers Jr. — voiced by Harry Shearer — came out as gay to Mr. Burns on a episode of The Simpsons.. Over the past 26 years of "The Simpsons," Waylon Smithers' sexuality has grown from a recurring joke to an … By Kevin Melrose Sep 28, 2015. I’ve said that if we ever ended it, it would be my idea to just go back to the beginning and have the end start at the Christmas show that began the stories like an infinite loop … The [coming-out] episode of Ellen was pretty groundbreaking, and the sad thing is I think that was in 1997; it took so long for that episode to air. Submit. The [coming-out] episode of Ellen was pretty groundbreaking, and the sad thing is I think that was in 1997; it took so long for that episode to air. You can unsubscribe at any time. Other characters attempt to find a boyfriend for Smithers, and he falls for Julio. [Laughs]. Smithers verheimlicht sein Doppelleben lange Zeit; ein tatsächliches Coming-out gibt es erst in der 27. EW spoke with Simpsons executive producer Al Jean about the Smithers showcase. Please try again later. Updated July 29, 2017. But there was little tension in this saggy, baggy episode of television, and less humor. Smithers to come out in episode inspired by Simpsons' writer's gay son. We don’t have big lights go off, saying, “Oh, Smithers’ coming-out episode!” I loved that we didn’t make a big deal of it, that the town knew he was gay and it wasn’t unusual. Fox Until now, Smithers hadn't even been considered a gay character by the show's producers. 0. SIGN UP TO PEDESTRIAN DAILY. Homer Simpson takes it upon himself to play matchmaker when Waylon Smithers comes out as gay in The Simpsons‘ Sunday, April 3, episode.. STAFF WRITERS. There’s no actual “coming out” scene in the episode. None of the guests get anything to say; the show’s take on as easy a target as the gay-dating app Grindr is to acknowledge that it exists. Comments Share your thoughts and debate the big issues. They just wanted to find him somebody that was more of a match than Burns. It finally happened. But one wonders if that isn’t preferable, on a show that’s a comedy, to a smooth and airless acceptance with absolutely no comic point-of-view. When Smithers does finally come out to his boss, it will make for an interesting moment. And Sunday night's episode exemplified how the series is still a model for other animated comedies, when one of the show's OG characters, Waylon Smithers Jr., came out as gay. It worked temporarily: He embarked on a whirlwind romance with Julio — and quit Burns both professionally and personally — but by episode’s end, both Smithers and Burns realized that they couldn’t live/work without each other, and Smithers had cut Julio free. The [coming-out] episode of Ellen was pretty groundbreaking, and the sad thing is I think that was in 1997; it took so long for that episode to air. Sometimes it’s just to shake up the narrative, as when Marge’s sister Patty came out as a lesbian or when Ned Flanders was widowed. Mr. Smithers made his debut in The Simpsons in season 1’s third episode, “Homer’s Odyssey”, though he can be heard over a speaker in the ... Needless to say, the way The Simpsons handled Smithers’ coming out wasn’t well received by the audience, and it’s unlikely they will properly address it in a near future, but they will surely keep making jokes out of it. Burns does a show at the Springfield Bowl to overcome a trauma that he experienced as a child, and Smithers helps with that. Smithers will finally come out as gay to Mr. Burns on an upcoming episode of The Simpsons, executive producer Al Jean told TV Line’s Andy Swift in a scoop interview: Smithers' coming out is low-key, as was Johnny's; he told the Post that as he was "the gayest little kid", his parents were not surprised by his sexual orientation. … What people do want is Smithers working for Burns. Smithers Is Coming Out as Gay This Season on The Simpsons. Was there a lot of talk over the years of when to do a “Smithers comes out” episode? We’ve said that. The Simpsons made another one of its late-period, seemingly random shifts in narrative on Sunday night by making Waylon Smithers, whose glass-closet homosexuality has been one of the show’s longest running gags, come out. And sometimes what makes us happy isn’t what we really want. Diesen Umstand wolle man in gleich zwei Episoden behandeln, in denen Smithers dann auch sein Coming Out hat. Smithers will come out of the closet on this Sunday's episode of The Simpsons. And here’s another big surprise on tap for Season 27: Is Smithers finally going to come out to Mr. Burns? As for Lenny and Carl, 'They could be bi for all I know'. But are him and Mr Burns meant to be? Simpsons executive producer says Mr Burns’s assistant, long rumored to be gay, will finally come out of the closet during two episodes of current season Die Figur soll zudem auch noch in weiteren Folgen eine wichtige Rolle spielen. The Simpson is set to have a big episode this weekend, revolving around the fact that a longtime character is coming out as gay. He even showed an early version of the script to his son, who gave feedback and a thumbs-up. The show's executive producer, Al Jean, announced six months ago that Smithers' big moment was coming. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. How do you come out when everyone already knows you’re gay? Er ist großer Fan und leidenschaftlicher Sammler der Malibu-Stacy-Puppen und deren Zubehör. Jedoch hat sich Waylon Smithers in der Episode, die … After having been set up with a boyfriend by Homer and Marge, Smithers ends up getting the one thing he’s always wanted: Approval from Mr. Burns. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. IT ONLY took 27 seasons, but Waylon Smithers is finally going to make his feelings for Mr. Burns known. In the animated comedy’s April 3 episode, our ever-dedicated personal assistant tried to declare his love to his boss after saving his life, but Burns cut him off, leaving him frustrated and heartbroken — and Homer & Co. committed to finding Smithers a worthy male suitor to end all of this pointless pining for his boss. Fox, Simpsons: Smithers coming-out episode explained by Al Jean. When he tries to say to Burns, “I’m gay,” we kept having Burns cut him off. Smithers and Julio get a … fishing license. Als die Produzenten 2004 ankündigten, dass sich eine Figur als homosexuell outen würde, rechneten viele Fans und Medien mit einem Coming-out von Smithers. Seine unerwiderte Liebe und verheimlichte sexuelle Neigung waren für mehr als zwei Jahrzehnte ein Running Gag. Waylon Smithers, personal assistant to Mr. Burns and avid Malibu Stacy collector, is to finally come out as gay to his boss in a new episode of cult TV show The Simpsons. No. Comment. Patty’s gay. Now he will finally come out to his boss and, officially, to viewers in the show’s 27th season. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Fox. Granted, it was hard to figure out quite how this ought to have been handled. Time passed and we realized everyone in Springfield probably knew Smithers was gay except for the man he loved. Updated July 29, 2017. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Or, sort of: He sang a song about his thwarted love for his boss, nuclear-plant magnate Mr. Burns, which Homer overheard before contriving to set Smithers up with a nice guy. Lenny and Carl? The Simpsons showrunner Al Jean teases that Smithers will come out to Mr. Burns as gay in an upcoming Season 27 episode. And if there’s one thing we can do with this episode is just to say that we hope that things have changed to the point where it isn’t such a big deal, that it’s just accepted more naturally. Isn’t there another Smithers episode in the works? While it was not entirely accurate to term “The Burns Cage” a coming-out episode — the town already knew he was gay, and he never truly got to tell Burns that he loved him — it was, in a way, the longest coming-out story ever told, with roots stretching back to the show’s beginnings. Seine unerwiderte Liebe und verheimlichte sexuelle Neigung waren für mehr als zwei Jahrzehnte ein Running Gag. He would have been in a happier relationship probably with Julio, but it’s not what he wanted. In recent years, Smithers has seemed at times like a bit of a rude gay joke; his fringe-y obsession with Mr. Burns was his only reason to exist, while even Principal Skinner had a richly drawn (if, yes, cartoonish) inner life. It’s also a little bit based on our experiences working at the Hollywood Bowl. And we want Smithers to be part of this world. Smithers (left), the loyal servant to Mr. Burns (right), will finally come out this season. Why? It’s sweet as a grace note could be on a show that’s stayed long enough at the party that any barbs about gay people may be too risky to be worthwhile, but it’s also, to quote the opening sequence this week, “meh.” On a show whose father figure is a buffoon out-of-step with polite society, uncomplicated enlightenment isn’t just unrealistic: It’s bad for comedy. Smithers’ Coming Out Episode Was Inspired By A ‘Simpsons’ Writers’ Gay Son . It took 27 seasons, but Mr Smithers is finally set to come out of the closet, with his sexuality set to be addressed in a two-episode special in the next season. Mr Smithers, the long suffering assistant to Mr Burns on 'The Simpsons' is to finally come out as gay during the show’s latest season. The sexual orientation of Smithers, loyal assistant to curmudgeonly billionaire Montgomery Burns, is no surprise to avid watchers of "The Simpsons." Waylon Smithers' Coming-Out on The Simpsons Shows How Toothless the Show Has Become Homer makes it his mission to find Mr. Smithers a boyfriend in the April 3, … T onight, Mr Burns's long-suffering assistant Waylon Smithers will come out as gay in a special episode of The Simpsons.. By Cam Tyeson . Burns will never quite get it, and the point of the episode is not because of who he is but because of who he loves — i.e. Als die Produzenten 2004 ankündigten, dass sich eine Figur als homosexuell outen würde, rechneten viele Fans und Medien mit einem Coming-out von Smithers. But later, episodes in the fifth and seventh season helped situate him as both a person with real ideas and traits outside of his race and, as an immigrant during the rising tides of 1990s right-wing paranoia, a person subject to changing political tides. The episode aired five days before Johnny's 22nd birthday, and he said he would have a viewing party because the episode would be "particularly meaningful" to him. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How long was this episode truly in the making? He’s got his foibles, but there’s a reason why, in the still-groundbreaking season 8 episode “Homer’s Phobia,” Smithers’ tetchy “I know the Simpsons” upon seeing that apparent boyfriend John (all-time great guest voice John Waters) has stood him up still stands out as a deceptively important moment in the show’s history.