Stark Raving Dad was the first episode in season 3 of The Simpsons, but it’s not as easy to watch today as the others.
The episode first aired on September 19, 1991, but was banned almost 30 years later due to the appearance of a controversial guest star.
In 2019, Stark Raving Dad was forbidden from airing worldwide and removed from streaming following the public resurgence of allegations of child sexual abuse against Michael Jackson, who voices a character.
Credited as John Jay Smith at the time, Jackson, who died in 2009 aged 50, was the voice behind Leon Kompowski, whom Homer met in a mental institution but believed to be the King of Pop.
The Thriller hitmaker was known to be a fan of the animated series, having called its creator, Matt Groening, and asking to be part of it.
He pitched his own ideas and even wrote the Happy Birthday, Lisa song for his episode, as a side plot sees Bart promising his sister that he will get her the best present ever.
For contractual reasons, Jackson’s role was not confirmed officially until a later date, with Kipp Lennon also performing his written tune due to legal obligations with Jackson’s record company.
There are plenty of Jackson references throughout the episode, including soundbites of his hits Billie Jean and Ben.
It was also said Jackson remained heavily involved in the production process, having requested several script changes, including that a joke about Prince was altered to one about Elvis Presley.
Alas, Jackson’s starring role ended up being the downfall of Stark Raving Dad.
In January 2019, the documentary Leaving Neverland was released. In it, two men, now in their thirties, alleged that they had been sexually abused by Jackson at the height of his fame and when they were aged seven and 10.
Director Dan Reed described the Primetime Emmy-winning doc as a ‘study of the psychology of child sexual abuse, told through two ordinary families … groomed for 20 years by a pedophile masquerading as a trusted friend.’
The filmmaker also said in the aftermath that he was ‘not about cancelling Jackson,’ but rather wanted people to know ‘that he was, at times, a monster to children.’
Wade Robson and James Safechuck provided graphic recounts of their alleged encounters with Jackson, which they claim took place at his home, Neverland Ranch, and elsewhere, not realising the acts were inappropriate until they were older.
Many of Jackson’s fans grew fiercely defensive in the wake of its release, and it actually boosted his music sales by 10%, with no mass demands for his tunes to stop being played.
However, in many ways, it also tarnished his legacy, hence the decision to axe Stark Raving Dad to sever the Jackson connection.
While Jackson was not alive by the time the Neverland doc was released, his estate has continued to deny claims that he abused either of the men, whom Jackson met on video shoots.
Maintaining that he is innocent, the Jackson estate also previously emphasised that Robson testified that he had not been abused during the singer’s 2005 criminal trial, which tried further child sexual abuse allegations.
Safechuck said the same to authorities, with Jackson later acquitted.
In November 2026, Robson and Safechuck will finally appear in court, with their joint suit against MJJ Productions and MJJ Venture having been revived, accusing the companies of failing to protect them.
Meanwhile, a Jackson biopic is currently in the works, with the late performer’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, portraying him. Having been recently pushed back, the movie will be released at some point after April 1, 2026.
He also had somewhat of an involvement in other Simpsons episodes.
Jackson was a big Bart fan, so he wrote Do the Bartman in a bid to give him a chart-topping hit, but he did not receive credit for it.
He was also mentioned in the episode Bart Sells His Soul (1995) when Bart says: ‘Milhouse, there is no such thing as a soul. It’s just something parents made up to scare children, like the boogeyman or Michael Jackson.’
Another Jackson name-drop came in The Bart of War, released in 2003.
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