Waylon Smithers, Jr. from “The Simpsons” will finally be coming out of the closet and revealing his long-held open secret regarding his sexual orientation during the show’s 27th season this year,
according to a new TVLine interview with executive producer Al Jean.
During the show’s massive run, Smithers’ sexuality has been hinted at, particularly in his affection for and his obsession with his curmudgeonly boss, Montgomery Burns. Smithers sports a tattoo on his chest of both his own face and Burns’ alongside the words “Boss of My Heart,” and he infamously kissed Burns on the lips in one episode
, according to the New York Daily News.
“In Springfield now, most people know he’s gay, but obviously Burns doesn’t,” Jean told TVLine. “We deal with that in two episodes . . . We actually do a lot with Smithers this year; he gets fed up with Burns not appreciating him and considers his options.”
Previously, “The Simpsons” has also shown Smithers, who is voiced by Harry Shearer, vacationing at an all-male resort and having an implied relationship with a male shop owner, thus leaving the show’s fans guessing and
theorizing about his sexual orientation, according to CNN. Fans have even coined the term “Burns-sexual” to describe Smithers’ infatuation with his boss.
But the questions concerning Smithers’ sexual orientation will now be openly revealed during a two-episode story arc in the show’s 27th season.
As the longest-running American sitcom of all time, “The Simpsons’” 27th season will also include other headline-inducing situations, including Marge tossing Homer out of their home and into the arms of another woman. Questions and theories, however, still remain as to how long the show will continue to run.
“It's quite possible that we don't have to go through the whole negotiation for
30 [seasons],” Jean told The Hollywood Reporter. “I wouldn't be stunned if we stopped at 28, but my bet is on at least 30. But then you'd have to resign them again. If you made me pick one, I'd say the likeliest is ending after 30, but I've been wrong before. I thought five seasons was good when I got there.”
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.