No political jokes in Springfield, says Simpsons creator Groening

This undated frame from 'The Simpsons,' shows the popular cartoon family posing in front of their home, from left, Lisa , Marge , Maggie, Homer and Bart Simpson. (AP Photo/Fox Broacasting Co.)

Annecy, France — Like many American families struggling for unity in the polarized United States, The Simpsons have decided to avoid political jokes, the creator of the series Matt Groening told AFP.

Despite the potential for storylines and humour, Groening ruled out venturing into America’s toxic politics for laughs.

“We don’t do political humour because political humour is very limited. It dates very quickly,” he said during an interview at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the French Alps.

A Simpsons season takes at least six to nine months to produce, raising the risk of gags turning stale, Groening explained.

The show - broadcast on U.S. network Fox TV and on Disney Plus, which now owns the series - has sometimes appeared to predict real events, such as Donald Trump’s election, which was first referenced in an episode in 2000.

It has also featured parodies in the past of a host of politicians from Bill Clinton to Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“We just have to stay true to our characters, their spirit and their relationships. And when they face the sadness of the world, people feel briefly connected to them,” writer-producer Matt Selman told AFP.

Despite Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie remaining frozen in time since their debut in 1989, the writers have ensured the story lines move with the times.

A recent episode parodied artificial intelligence when a chatbot was asked to write the finale.

“In the plot of that episode, AI was given the job of writing the perfect finale. And of course, it just regurgitated and spat out all the other finales from all the other shows in very unoriginal and silly ways that of course would be terrible,” said Selman.

“It was our attempt to push back at AI, push back at ever ending the show.”

The natural environment remains a rich source of inspiration, including in “The Simpsons Movie” in 2007 which featured a disaster caused by Homer that leads to Springfield being sealed under a giant dome.

“The environment’s not going to get cleaned up anytime soon,” Groening added.

The Simpsons Movie grossed US$536.4 million worldwide, but the creators ruled out making a sequel - for the moment.

“We are still recovering from the first movie,” joked Groening. “And the sad truth is we don’t have enough time to do both the show and the movie unless we decide we want to work really, really hard.”

The Simpsons has been translated into 26 languages and broadcast in around 100 countries.

The 800th episode is set to air in early 2026.

Article by Maëlle Lions-Geollot.