Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

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The Simpsons has taken satirical aim at even the most powerful figures on earth, so how many US presidents have appeared on the animated sitcom?

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Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

In its many years on the air, The Simpsons has taken satirical aim at even the most powerful figures on earth, including a number of US presidents. Throughout its 30 years on the air, The Simpsons has never stopped spoofing important public figures, even as the show’s once-untouchable reputation fell into critical dismissal. It’s undeniable that the earlier seasons of The Simpsons never shied away from courting controversy whereas the more recent seasons are frequently criticized for being satirically toothless and misguided in comparison.

But despite losing its edge, The Simpsons still throws jokes at a lot of powerful figures even if its jabs may be less deft and more tone-deaf in recent years. All it takes is a quick look at every time The Simpsons has parodied still-living (and in some cases, still-sitting, at the time) heads of state throughout the show’s long run to illustrate that the series can spoof even the most powerful people alive when it wants to.

Over the years, almost every US president who was alive when The Simpsons’ first episode debuted in 1989 has been mentioned on the show in some form or another, but interestingly more recent presidents are less likely to be directly depicted on The Simpsons than their nineties counterparts. The Simpsons was once confident about spoofing former presidents, taking plenty of potshots at Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W Bush, but also parodying Bill Clinton plenty during his time in office as well as after. In comparison, George W. Bush was only seen in passing, Barack Obama was barely mentioned at all, and Donald Trump has been depicted only in some non-canon skits, without The Simpsons devoting much screen time to any current president post-2000. It may be a sign of the show’s waning relevance or lack of daring but whatever the cause, The Simpsons used to be much quicker to spoof the head of state than they are now.

Richard Nixon

Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

In the Disney+ ruined “Duffless” the famously duplicitous Nixon appears in a (mid-presidential-debate) Duff commercial early on in the series where Homer understandably distrusts his claim to love the beer. More importantly, he’s a close friend of Sir Oinks-a-Lot as the recipient of a Springfield A&M honorary degree and is horrified to learn the mascot has been kidnapped. And while the non-canon Treehouse of Horror installments may not technically count, the Devil’s inclusion of a still-living Nixon as part of his Jury of the Damned is too good a gag to overlook.

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Gerald Ford

Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

Only briefly seen on The Simpsons, Ford appears at the tail end of “Two Bad Neighbours” where he’s the antithesis to the fussy, petty George H.W Bush who Homer has been clashing with. As Homer’s easygoing new neighbor, Ford makes a perfect friend since the pair share a love of football, nachos, and beer.

Jimmy Carter

Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

One of the more warmly satirical portrayals on The Simpsons before the show (and Homer) grew more mean-spirited, Carter is seen being turned away from Burns’ birthday party due to his status as a mere on-termer in “Rosebud” (a fate he shares with George H.W Bush, who spitefully rejects his friendly conversation moments later). The former president (and Habitat for Humanity founder) has his post-presidency charity project mentioned in “E-I-EI-D’oh” as well as in “Large Marge” (wherein he, George H.W Bush, and Bill Clinton play out a classic 3 Stooges routine while building a home). In a later appearance Carter’s comedy breakdancing stalls a potential riot during the late-season classic “Behind the Laughter”, and although this scarcely counts as an appearance, he’s also the subject of a statue which later transformed turned into a Marge statue (by adding her recognizable updo onto the existing Carter mold).

Ronald Reagan

Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

A former actor before his presidency in the ’80s, 1984’s re-election winner Ronald Reagan was also the only US president to actually respond to The Simpsons’ request for a cameo in “Krusty Gets Cancelled” (he politely declined, but the 2 other former presidents didn’t get back to the creators). Reagan only appeared briefly on the series, seen as a guest at Burns’ birthday, and enjoying a concert from the Be-Sharps. Burns mentioned that the Springfield Republican Party wants to name everything after the president and his head is seen on a pike in the Springfield Wax Museum, but the most memorable appearance by Reagan is in the form of Homer’s Rappin’ Ronnie Reagan tape, which does indeed make any trip go faster.

George H.W Bush

Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

Easily the most spoofed president in the long history of The Simpsons, George H.W Bush first appears when the president gives a (real-life!) speech denouncing The Simpsons in “Stark Raving Dad”. There, he claims American families should be “more like The Waltons and less like The Simpsons”, prompting Bart’s legendary rejoinder “we’re just like The Waltons, we’re praying for an end to the Depression, too”. Bush laters appears as a member of the Stonecutters, and more notably has an entire episode dedicated to him in the form of “Two Bad Neighbours”, wherein he moves in beside the titular family and becomes embroiled in an obsessive prank war with Homer. The writers admitted that the episode was written in response to Bush’s earlier dismissal of the show, and it’s a classic installment thanks to their thinly-veiled beef with the former head of state.

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Bill Clinton

Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

Almost as often-parodied as his predecessor George H.W Bush, Clinton was seen on The Simpsons being arrested alongside the eponymous family and the Dixie Chicks in “The Bart-Mangled Banner” and is forced to support his wife Hilary’s failed 2008 primary effort in “E Pluribus Wiggum”. But his most notable appearance, alongside a non-canon “Treehouse of Horror” segment that saw the president voiced by the legendary Phil Hartman, is Clinton’s cameo in which he admits to being a “pretty lousy president” at the close of the otherwise fan-despised “Saddlesore Galactica”.

George W. Bush

Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

Despite eight years in office and a war in Iraq to his name, George Bush’s son didn’t warrant much coverage from Springfield’s first family. The younger Bush was glimpsed in a family photo album (wherein Homer is beating him up), but other than that he earned few direct mentions from The Simpsons, a tactic that would continue through to numerous other presidents who have held office in the years since Bush’s contentious 2000 election.

Barack Obama

Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

Much like his predecessor George W Bush, Barack Obama was surprisingly never depicted in-canon although he is one of few US presidents Bart recognizes (as “Black guy”) in conversation with Superintendent Chalmers. Beyond that, Obama is only included in the show as the source of a few one-liners much like Bush, but never actually shown onscreen despite also serving two terms.

Donald Trump

Every US President Who Appeared On The Simpsons

The only celebrity who asked to appear on The Simpsons and was turned down, Trump has never been depicted in the show’s continuity (although he’s the focus of various non-canon skits since his surprise election in 2016). Trump’s lack of focus on The Simpsons fits the show’s apparent attempts to avoid focusing on contemporary political figures after the heyday of the series in the nineties. Although special mention must go, of course, to the fact that Trump was referenced as an unseen former US president decades in advance in one of The Simpsons’ most famous prescient predictions.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/simpsons-presidents-trump-bush-obama-clinton-reagan-appearances-explained/

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