'The Simpsons' to pull Michael Jackson episode amid 'Leaving Neverland' backlash
"The Simpsons" creators have decided to remove an episode featuring the voice of Michael Jackson from all TV and streaming platforms, as well as future DVD box sets, according to the show's longtime executive producer in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Executive producer James L. Brooks says he, along with creator Matt Groening and showrunner Al Jean collectively agreed to pull the episode, titled "Stark Raving Dad," in response to the HBO documentary "Leaving Neverland," in which two men accuse Jackson of sexually abusing them as children.
The Simpsons episode, which originally aired in 1991 during the show's third season, featured Jackson as the voice of Leon Kompowsky, a man who believes he's the "Bad" singer. Jackson, a fan of the show, offered to guest star and was originally credited under the pseudonym "John Jay Smith."
Brooks told the Journal about pulling the episode, "It feels clearly the only choice to make."
"The guys I work with -- where we spend our lives arguing over jokes -- were of one mind on this," he added. "The documentary gave evidence of monstrous behavior."
The decision to pull the show from the "Simpsons" catalog follows three radio stations in Montreal, Quebec deciding to pull Jackson's music from their playlists.
"I’m against book burning of any kind. But this is our book, and we’re allowed to take out a chapter," Brooks added in the interview.
The "Leaving Neverland" documentary drew in 1.29 million viewers for its first installment Sunday night, the third-largest audience for an HBO documentary this decade.
Jackson's family and his estate have denied the allegations in "Leaving Neverland" and have filed a lawsuit against HBO, claiming that film violates a non-disparagement clause from a 1992 contract HBO signed in order to air a Jackson concert.
