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Disney+ axes infamous 'Simpsons' episode featuring Michael Jackson after reports emerged that he used the appearance to 'groom' young boys
November 14, 2019
Disturbing on a variety of levels
Disney+ has omitted "The Simpsons" season three opener, which featured a Michael Jackson cameo, from its array of content offerings.
In March, Al Jean — the long-running show's executive producer — told the Daily Beast that he believed Jackson used the 1991 cameo appearance to "groom" young boys.
What are the details of the episode?
In the season three premiere, Jackson — a long-time fan of the show — guest-starred on the show, lending his vocals to the character of Leon Kompowsky, an institutionalized man who believes he is the late entertainer.
For the episode, "Stark Raving Dad," Jackson even composed a special song for his character and Bart Simpson to perform.
The rest of "The Simpsons" episodes are available to stream on Disney+, which launched Tuesday.
What else?
Back in March, Jean told the Daily Beast, "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."
"That, to me, is my belief," he added, "and it's why I think removing it [from 'The Simpsons' catalog] is appropriate."
Show executives decided to remove the episode from its 30-year lineup and from syndication after "Finding Neverland" — a blistering documentary based on the horrifying and lurid pedophile allegations against Jackson — aired on HBO earlier this year.
James L. Brooks, one of the show's producers, told the Wall Street Journal that the decision to remove the show from the vast "Simpsons" library was unanimous.
"The guys I work with — where we spend our lives arguing over jokes — were of one mind on this," he revealed in a March interview with the outlet. "It feels clearly the only choice to make. The documentary gave evidence of monstrous behaviour. I'm against book burning of any kind. But this is our book, and we're allowed to take out a chapter."
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