Times really have changed.
Homer Simpson has, according to the animated character, stopped strangling his son Bart – bringing to an end a long-running (and outdated) gag on the show.
It’s one of many set pieces on the beloved animated series. In this recurring interaction, Homer, the family patriarch, begins vigorously choking Bark after yelling, “Why you little …”
A recent episode of the show went viral after the character of Homer shakes the hand of a new neighbor and is complimented on a strong handshake.
“See, Marge, strangling the boy paid off,” Homer tells his wife, Marge.
He then says, “Just kidding, I don’t do that anymore. Times have changed.”
The seismic shift all gathered steam after a user on X (formerly known as Twitter) posted a clip of the scene, and wrote, “I just found out that, after over 30 years, The Simpsons has finally retired their long-running gag of Homer strangling Bart. Took them long enough.”
According to the Independent, the last time Homer actually strangled Bart was during season 31, which ran from 2019 to 2020.
Since debuting in 1989, “The Simpsons” has become the longest-running animated series on television.