The Simpsons: This is why Homer Simpson stopped choking son Bart

After 34 years and over 750 episodes, "The Simpsons" continues to evolve with the times, as demonstrated in a recent episode where Homer Simpson announces a significant shift in his parenting style.

In a running gag throughout the beloved animated series, Homer is known for reprimanding his mischievous son, Bart, by playfully squeezing his neck, a gesture criticized for its perceived brutality. However, in the third episode of season 35, titled "McMansion & Wife," Homer introduces himself with a handshake, signaling a change in his approach. He jokingly comments, "See, Marge, strangling the boy paid off," before adding, "Just kidding, I don’t do that anymore. Times have changed."

Fans of the show applauded Homer for acknowledging his previous behavior towards Bart, with one comment expressing, "I knew my man Homer was gonna learn." The last time Homer was depicted strangling Bart was in season 31 (2019-2020), though the topic of parent-child dynamics had been explored on several occasions before that.


In the season 22 episode "Love is a Many Strangled Thing," Homer attends a "fathering enrichment class" and experiences what it's like to feel "young, small, and terrified" as a towering basketball player (played by former NBA star Kareem Abdul Jabbar) demonstrates by playfully squeezing his neck. This traumatic experience leads Homer to refrain from strangling Bart. However, in season 24's "Love is a Many-Splintered Thing," Homer reverts to his old discipline method, choking Bart in front of his friend, Milhouse, who finds it distressing.

While "The Simpsons" has been praised for addressing the end of this long-running joke, the show has previously faced criticism for its portrayal of the character Apu. Apu, a shop owner of Indian descent, was voiced by white actor Hank Azaria, a decision that garnered backlash for its lack of authenticity and perpetuation of stereotypes. This controversy was prominently featured in Hari Kondabolu's 2017 documentary, "The Problem with Apu."