Search icon

Movies & TV

14th Nov 2019

Only one episode of The Simpsons won’t be available to stream on Disney+

Carl Kinsella

Simpsons Disney+

It’s from the golden age of The Simpsons.

Disney+ has shaken up the game when it comes to online streaming. It hasn’t launched in Ireland yet, but when it does it will be home to all Star Wars content, all Marvel content, classic Disney animations, Pixar films and, of course, The Simpsons.

However, after its launch this week in the US, it became clear that the first episode of Season 3 – Stark Raving Dad – is missing from the archive.

Simpsons fans will remember this episode as the one where Homer is committed to a mental institution and befriends a large white man who believes that he is Michael Jackson (voiced by Jackson himself). The episode concludes with “Jackson” and Bart writing a birthday song for Lisa.

In the wake of Leaving Neverland, a documentary in which two men detailed alleged sexual abuses that pop-star Jackson committed against them when they were children, the episode was pulled from syndication, and will no longer be broadcast on TV.

It now seems that the same policy has been followed with regards to streaming.

Show-runner Al Jean explained the initial decision by saying: “What saddens me is, if you watch that documentary—which I did, and several of us here did—and you watch that episode, honestly, it looks like the episode was used by Michael Jackson for something other than what we’d intended it.

“It wasn’t just a comedy to him, it was something that was used as a tool. And I strongly believe that. That, to me, is my belief, and it’s why I think removing it is appropriate.”

All other episodes, from Seasons 1 to 30, are available on the new service.