Simpsons 3D on Ice: GLAAD Wants Smithers To Come Out

by Rachel Sklar | 4:49 am, January 11th, 2010

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Happy 20th anniversary, The Simpsons! God does that make me feel old. Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa & Maggie may not have aged a bit over the past two decades, but it has nonetheless really been that long — and tonight Fox celebrated by airing a special Simpson’s 20th anniversary documentary special — Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special! In 3D! On Ice! as well as turning the network yellow last week in honor of their longtime hit. The special, directed by Supersize Me documentarian Morgan Spurlock, featured interviews with Conan O’Brien, Dan Rather, Sting, Seth McFarlane, Brian Williams and Hugh Hefner — and Rashad Robinson, media director of GLAAD.

Robinson was focused on Smithers, loyal assistant to evil gazillionaire Mr. Burns, secretly in love with his boss, and not-so-secretly gay. “GLAAD counts Smithers as a gay character because the show has definitely told us that he’s gay,” said Robinson. “We would love a character Smithers to progress by becoming more open about his sexual orientation in the community. You know, maybe he starts a gay employees research group down at the plant.” Or maybe he and Mr. Burns could get married in New York. Oh, never mind. Or New Jersey! Oh, never mind.

Note that GLAAD has to “count Smithers as a gay character” because he isn’t actually out. Per se. Just as Robinson doesn’t actually say that GLAAD would like Smithers to come out, but that’s sort of what “becoming more open about his sexual orientation in the community” tends to mean. After two decades, it’s not entirely unreasonable. In the video, Conan O’Brien, who previously wrote for the Simpsons, muses about the awesomeness of Mr. Burns. “If someone could just put me out in a pasture somewhere, in a beautiful part of Spain, and say, ‘Your job is just — we’ll pay you a dollar a year, and you can have some cheap red wine, and you can just think of weird things for Mr. Burns to say and do — I would take that job.” Ha. NBC would love to see you try. (No, really, they would.) Video below — and, for aficiaonados, the hinted at clip of “See My Vest” is below that. You’re welcome.