Homer Simpson won’t strangle son Bart anymore: ‘Times have changed’

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Homer Simpson is done strangling his son Bart, ending a long-running gag on the hit animated series, The Simpsons.

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Since the show’s debut in 1989, Homer has physically lashed out at Bart when his precocious boy acts up. But the practice seemed to go away after Season 31, which aired between 2019-2020.

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Now, in a recent episode titled McMansion & Wife, Homer has declared the abusive behaviour is over for good. In one scene from the series’ 35th season, Homer (Dan Castellaneta) meets with his new neighbour Thayer (Hank Azaria), who comments on his “grip” as they shake hands.

“See, Marge, strangling the boy has paid off,” Homer quips to his wife [per PEOPLE]. “Just kidding. I don’t do that anymore.”

Homer then adds, “Times have changed!”

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On social media, a handful of fans lashed out at the news that the bit is over calling it “politically woke garbage.”

“They keep finding stupid ways to make what’s left of The Simpsons even worse,” one person whined. “Just cancel this thing. It hasn’t been good in a decade and the woke brigade is just dancing on its corpse.”

“Please don’t go woke,” another viewer railed. “The Simpsons is the greatest thing every created on TV in the last 30 years … let Disney f*** themselves with their woke agenda.”

But many Simpsons fans were in favour of the change.

“I just found out that, after over 30 years, The Simpsons has finally retired their long-running gag of Homer strangling Bart,” one watcher wrote. “Took them long enough…”

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“This is WOKE gone too far. Some of my fondest memories were sitting down with my dad, watching Homer strangle a 10-year-old boy within in an inch of his life while we ate a dinner prepared in Teflon cookware,” another fan sarcastically jabbed.

“F***ing woke mob got The Simpsons. Why can’t a man strangle his kid almost to death these days without someone getting offended?” a third asked jokingly.

After being on the air for over three decades, The Simpsons has been forced to make adjustments as tastes change.

In 2020, Azaria stopped voicing Indian-American character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon after complaints that his portrayal helped fuel racist stereotypes.

The following year, Dr. Hibbert, who is Black, was recast after decades of being voiced by a White actor.

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X: @markhdaniell

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