It’s not exactly a secret to fans of the show, but now – after 27 years of hiding his true feelings – Simpsons character Waylon Smithers is set to officially come out as gay.
Inspired by the real life personal experiences of Rob LaZebnik, a writer for the show, the episode was made to show support for his son Johnny, 21, who recently came out.
The announcement about the upcoming episode has been well-received by fans who have followed Smithers’ journey from confused to confident for more than two decades.
In the new episode of the long-running show, Mr Burns’ long-time admirer will apparently be caught using Grindr, and LaZebnik told the New York Post:
“I am a Midwestern guy, so I don’t tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve, but I thought, ‘What better way to tell my son I love him than to write a cartoon about it?Â
We didn’t really want to have that big moment of ‘I’m out,’ you know? Instead, just have it be a big embrace — like, everyone knows it anyway.”
Previous episodes like ‘Homer’s Phobia’ and ‘There’s Something About Marrying’ have explored the issue in the past
SMITHERS IS COMING OUT! 🌈#SmithersComingOut #ProudOfSmithers
— luke. (@LukusWilson) April 4, 2016
via YouTube / FoxSince when was it a secret that Mr Smithers was gay??
— #SheMatters✨ (@CynthiaOToole) April 4, 2016
Smithers is GAY???
— Lalo Alcaraz (@laloalcaraz) April 5, 2016
https://twitter.com/pau10mb/status/712125514408787968
Spoiler alert: Smithers is gay and Burns finally knows. Wait for it.
— LISA SIMPSON (jami) 🔜 yer mom (@cricket710CO) March 20, 2016
via YouTube / Foxsmithers, your free pic.twitter.com/uV6TJwuw2r
— joseph online (@jnlevine) April 5, 2016
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