After decades of casually flirting with his millionaire boss, Waylon Smithers has finally acknowledged his sexual preference toward other men.
Mr. Burns’ long-time assistant, voiced by Harry Shearer, came out on the latest Simpsons episode which aired this past Sunday. The ambiguous character had hinted at viewers for over 25 years, but ultimately realized that Mr. Burns does not share mutual feelings after a sentimental skydiving trip together. Feeling sympathetic about Smithers’ unsatisfactory love live, Homer secretly tries to find him a boyfriend.
Simpson and company then use a phone app to gather potential men and attend a party at his home, prompting Smithers to grow suspicious about Homer’s intentions. Interestingly, openly-gay actor George Takei was a guest voice on this rather touching episode, with Hank Azaria voicing Smithers’ eventual admirer.
Writer Rob LaZebnik partly dedicated this episode to support his homosexual son, as he explained to the New York Post. “I am a Midwestern guy, so I don’t tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve,” he stated, “but I thought, ‘What better way to tell my son I love him than to write a cartoon about it?’”
His son, Johnny, revealed that his father first asked him for advice on portraying a prominent gay dating app appropriately.
“He once sent me an email, and the header was just ‘How does Grindr work?’ ” Johnny explained. “I screenshotted and Instagrammed it and sent it to all my gay friends because it made me laugh so much.”
LaZebnik believes that gay storylines are always important, especially in cartoons. “Sometimes TV can have a real impact on people’s thinking,” he expressed, “and I certainly hope it will have an impact on my son’s dating life — not that he needs help.”