Is Barney Nelson's Dad? 'The Simpsons' Producer Weighs In On a Persistent Fan Theory
Plus, any news on Apu?
This past weekend, The Simpsons launched its 38th season with "The Children's Book Job,” featuring guest star Emma Thompson. Owen Wilson and Meg Ryan will also appear this season, as well as returning favorite Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony. All of this was discussed in Polygon's recent interview with co-executive producer Mike Price, but while we had him on the phone, we couldn’t resist asking him about some of the most pressing questions from the Simpsons fandom.
For example, a couple of The Simpsons voice actors have made headlines recently, which have gotten big reactions from fans. Hank Azaria, who voices characters like Moe and Chief Wiggum, joked that AI might replace him someday. While he didn’t seem serious about it, AI voices have been a topic of discussion among fans about the future of the series. Also, Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson, recently speculated that The Simpsons would end with its 40th season.
So these questions, along with a few others, were put to Price. Here’s what he had to say.
5 Could AI ever replace any of The Simpsons voice actors?
Azaria’s comments earlier this year kicked off a big discussion online about the prospect, and ethics, of The Simpsons actors being replaced with AI, but according to Price, there’s little reason for concern.
“If I have anything to say about it, no,” he replied bluntly.
“I would never want to see that ever happen, ever, ever, ever. I'm sure there's probably AI versions of characters out there that some guy's throwing up on Instagram or something, but I don't believe that the makers of the show would ever do something like that. These actors are so good. They take what we write and put it on a whole other level. Sure, you could synthesize any of these characters, type a sentence, and make them say it, but it won't be a performance. It won't be acting. It wouldn't be worth it, as far as I'm concerned.”
4 What about Apu?
Since the debut of the 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu, which criticized the Simpsons character for reinforcing Indian stereotypes, Kwik-E-Mart proprietor Apu Nahasapeemapetilon has not spoken on The Simpsons. Up until that point, Apu had been one of the most pivotal characters on the show outside of the Simpson family, with many episodes focusing on him, which is why fans constantly wonder if the show will ever bring him back.
When I asked Price if he had any updates on Apu, his answer was simply “No,” before adding, “We love him, but no updates on him.”
3 Will any past Simpsons writers be returning for the new movie?
A new Simpsons movie is in development, which is scheduled for release next year. While details about the movie are still being kept under wraps, I asked Price if the new movie may do the same thing the original movie did by bringing back past writers to contribute to the screenplay, which some fans have been hoping for.
“Currently, no,” says Price. “We have a very small team working on the movie right now of people who are currently also working on the show.”
2 Is Barney Nelson’s Dad?
There are a lot of Simpsons fan theories out there, but one has persisted since the early days of the show: “Is Barney the father of Nelson?” The theory is based on nothing more than the fact that the two characters look kind of similar — that’s it. On top of that, Nelson’s actual father (who looks way more like Nelson) has been on the show many times. Still, the theory persists.
When I asked Price about this fan theory, it was clear he’s never heard it before.
“This is the first I've heard of that,” Price says. “I'd say no. We've seen Nelson's father many times. Unfortunately, he's always there for a minute and then he goes to get a pack of cigarettes and he's gone again.”
Price compares this fan theory to another one about Ralph Wiggum and Eddie the police officer.
“The one that I've heard that I don't think we lend any credence to is that Eddie is possibly Ralph Wiggum's father because he looks a little bit like him. They have a similar hairstyle, but that's just a thing where, certainly in the beginning of the years of the show, a lot of people had similar looks, but I don't think that was ever a conscious thing.”
1 Will The Simpsons end with season 40?
Finally, Price addresses Nancy Cartwright’s recent comments about the show ending with season 40.
“No,” he says. “We have no knowledge of that whatsoever. I think Nancy even kind of brought it back after she said that. The show is currently picked up through season 40 and I don't think anyone here is planning like season 40 is the end. I would say that's a big no.”
Finally, he adds, “We do not want it to end.”