In the wake of the controversial Michael Jackson documentary, Leaving Netherland, the director of The Simpsons has shown where he stands and pulled the popular episode ‘Stark Raving Dad’ which features the late pop stars voice.
WATCH: Leaving Netherland trailer
“It feels clearly the only choice to make,” executive director James L. Brooks told The Wallstreet Journal of the 1991 episode in which Jackson voiced a character.
Brooks— who called it a “treasured episode”— told the publication that he, along with creator Matt Groening and showrunner Al Jean were all in agreement to pull the episode from streaming platforms, future box sets, and broadcast network reruns after they watched the new HBO documentary, in which two men claim that Jackson molested them when they were young.
The fan favourite episode from season three revolves around Homer Simpson’s time in a psychiatric institution, where he bunks with Leon Kompwosky who believes he is Michael Jackson. Although Jackson voiced the character, ‘John Jay Smith’ was credited and it wasn’t until recently Groening confirmed that the singer was, in fact, the voice behind the patient!
In Leaving Netherland, Wade Robson and James Safechuck claim the pop star sexually abused them in the ’90s when they were children. Since the explosive documentary aired in Australia, dozens of radio stations have vowed to stop playing his music.
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