Last night, The Simpsons aired an episode inspired by the Smiths. As you can imagine, it took some turns and Morrissey wasn’t too pleased.
In a post on his official Facebook page, the singer unleashed harsh criticisms at The Simpsons, following the beloved show’s portrayal of him.
“Poking fun at subjects is one thing. But when a show stoops so low to use harshly hateful tactics like showing the Morrissey character with his belly hanging out of his shirt (when he has never looked like that at any point in his career) makes you wonder who the real hurtful, racist group is here,” he wrote.
The post continued, saying the show has taken a “turn for the worst” before praising Saturday Night Live and lambasting The Simpsons for trying to “capitalize on cheap controversy and expounding on vicious rumors.”
The April 18th “Panic on the Streets of Springfield” episode of The Simpsons showed Lisa Simpson discovering post-punk singer Quilloughby (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) — with parody music composed by Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie — through a streaming service called “Slapify.”
Morrissey’s entire reaction to “Panic on the Streets of Springfield” is below:
Surprising what a “turn for the worst” the writing for The Simpson’s tv show has taken in recent years. Sadly, The Simpson’s show started out creating great insight into the modern cultural experience, but has since degenerated to trying to capitalize on cheap controversy and expounding on vicious rumors.
Poking fun at subjects is one thing. Other shows like SNL still do a great job at finding ways to inspire great satire. But when a show stoops so low to use harshly hateful tactics like showing the Morrissey character with his belly hanging out of his shirt (when he has never looked like that at any point in his career) makes you wonder who the real hurtful, racist group is here.
Even worse – calling the Morrissey character out for being a racist, without pointing out any specific instances, offers nothing. It only serves to insult the artist. They should take that mirror and hold it up to themselves.Simpson’s actor Hank Azaria’s recent apology to the whole country of India for his role in upholding “structural racism” says it all. Unlike the character in the Simpson’s “Panic” episode…….Morrissey has never made a “cash grab”, hasn’t sued any people for their attacks, has never stopped performing great shows, and is still a serious vegan and strong supporter for animal rights.
By suggesting all of the above in this episode…the Simpson’s hypocritical approach to their storyline says it all. Truly they are the only ones who have stopped creating, and have instead turned unapologetically hurtful and racist. Not surprising…… that The Simpsons viewership ratings have gone down so badly over recent years.”
Surprising what a “turn for the worst” the writing for The Simpson’s tv show has taken in recent years.
Sadly, The…
Posted by Morrissey Official on Sunday, April 18, 2021
Ahead of the airing, Simpsons’ staffer Debbie Mahan posted her take on the episode, saying “I’ve worked on this show for nearly 20 years. And this —BY FAR— is the most fun I’ve ever had working on an episode. My husband, who also works on the show, is an avid Smiths fan/collector and was our resident Morrissey expert so it truly was a labour of love.”