A 1991 episode of The Simpsons featuring Michael Jackson is set to be pulled from circulation.
The animated series’ long-time executive producer, James L. Brooks, said that it “feels clearly like the only choice to make.”
He added to the Wall Street Journal [via Deadline]:
“I’m against book burning of any kind. But this is our book, and we’re allowed to take out a chapter.”
In the episode in question, season three’s Stark Raving Dad, Homer Simpson is mistaken for an anarchist and sent to a mental institution, where he shares a room with a man who claims to be pop star Michael Jackson.
His name is eventually revealed as Leon Kompowsky, a bricklayer from Paterson, NJ.
The role was originally credited to a pseudonym, John Jay Smith. However, in 2018, the series’ creator Matt Groening confirmed that Jackson actually voiced the character.
Kompowsky sang during the episode – like when he helped Bart come up with Happy Birthday Lisa – but, as per his contract, Jackson did not sing.
Instead, a soundalike was used for the episode.
The news followers after the two-part documentary, Leaving Nerverland, aired this week.
In the controversial documentary, two alleged victims of the singer, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, share disturbing accusations of sexual abuse.
Both men separately allege that as children, they shared a bed with the singer and that he repeatedly forced them to engage in sexual acts over a period of time.
They also claim that Jackson told them his life and their lives would be “over” if they told anyone about the abuse.
The Jackson family has strongly denied the claims, calling the documentary “a public lynching” and an attempt to “exploit and cash in on” the singer.
In a 2005 trial, Jackson was acquitted of several charges of molesting a minor, 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo.
