Simpsons’ Producers Rushed Anti-Fox Joke After Bill O’Reilly Called Them ‘Pinheads’

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by Jon Bershad | 9:01 pm, November 29th, 2010

» 24 comments

Last night, for the second week in a row, The Simpsons took a shot at corporate cousin Fox News. However, if you’re clicking over to Hulu or Fox’s websites to check out this week’s helicopter gag, you’re going to be disappointed. WebNewser has noticed that the joke, from the episode’s opening credits, has been removed. Did someone at Fox (other than Bill O’Reilly) complain?

Well, maybe. However, as much as we love a good conspiracy, our money is on WebNewser’s second hypothesis, that the gag was added at the very last minute and after the websites had received their copy. We can easily imagine the producers of the show getting so excited about the media coverage of the first joke (and thoroughly enjoying O’Reilly’s take down of it) that they rushed to their computers to add the new joke to the next episode, which was finished long in advance of airing. Besides, as much as some might like to picture shadowy Fox executives wringing their hands over the joke, we just can’t imagine any exec exclaiming, “What? People are writing about our two-decade-old series all over the internet because of one joke?! Well dont let them do it again!”

However, you’d think that the TV channels would get the shows before the websites so you never know…

UPDATE Simpsons’ Executive Producer Al Jean revealed in an exclusive interview with the NY Times David Itzkoff that the motives behind the anti-Fox News gag were light in spirit:

Mr. Jean said the “Simpsons” producers — in particular, the creator of the series, Matt Groening — were pleased with how the first Fox News joke seemed to ruffle the feathers of Bill O’Reilly, the host of the Fox News program “The O’Reilly Factor.” (On his show last week, Mr. O’Reilly played the “Simpsons” satire of Fox News and, with a smile, said of the cartoon family: “Pinheads? I believe so.”)

The “Simpsons” producers could not let that remark stand, so they rushed their second Fox News joke into Sunday’s episode — so late in the production process that the gag could only be inserted into the version shown in North America, but not into versions shown in foreign markets or on the Internet.

“There’s a lot of masters that go out,” Mr. Jean said in a telephone interview, “so to save money we just put it in the one master that’s for the U.S. and Canada. More money that will then go to Fox News and undoubtedly to Bill O’Reilly.”

Mr. Jean emphasized that neither he nor his “Simpsons” colleagues have ever been told by their corporate Fox parents to stop making fun of Fox News.

Check out the opening from Fox below as well as the Hulu version below that:

Bill O'Reilly, fox news, The Simpsons

Fox News: Better that we sell Hate than Crack

This ought to be weekly thing on the Simpsons. You have to be a POS to watch Fox News.
ganymede

Hats off to Matt Groening and the talented people who have created The Simpsons. I remember when Matt Groening had a brilliant but humble cartoon strip in the Village Voice. Now he’s been enormously successful and has the power to lay into the hypocrisy and mendacity of the Fox empire. He’s one of their top money producers and can get away with tweaking Murdoch. It will be interesting to see how far this will go. It’s great that Murdoch has areas where he is quite vulnerable. Rightwingers always accuse the Hollywood and whatever passes for America’s intelligentsia of being unpatriotic which, of course, is a bad joke. The reality is that people who have wider life experience and are well-read have a better grasp on what’s happening then people who get all their information from Fox and the Republican Party.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Michael-Johns/1681497708 Michael Johns

Fox News: Better that we sell Hate than Crack said:
Fox News: Better that we sell Hate than Crack

Couldn’t agree more, FNBTWSHTC!
Arkansas Steve

This ENTIRE story is about only ONE person who has a media outlet and thinks he will be noticed if he takes a shot at Fox News. Groening has crossed the line from entertaining to preaching. His action indicates he is just another putz wilh low self-esteem.
pakattak

Fox News: Better that we sell Hate than Crack said:
This ought to be weekly thing on the Simpsons. You have to be a POS to watch Fox News.

Man, I don’t like Fox News either, but you don’t have to stoop to name-calling like that.
Just4thefax

Fact: Cartoons don’t dare run shows on liberals because they will lose their core audience. Conservatives watch Simpsons?
Big Eddie

Fox News: Better that we sell Hate than Crack said:
This ought to be weekly thing on the Simpsons. You have to be a POS to watch Fox News.

Says the avid Fox News watcher .
Just4thefax

pakattak said:
Man, I don’t like Fox News either, but you don’t have to stoop to name-calling like that.

Fact: How can you debate on Mediaite Palin watch site if you don’t follow the news on FOX? How are going to be told the truth?
Big_F-ing_Deal

Go ahead, Bill…call them pinheads again. I want to see MORE Fox News helicopters. lol
BR

Big_F-ing_Deal said:
Go ahead, Bill…call them pinheads again. I want to see MORE Fox News helicopters. lol

Be proud Big F. You are the target audience for The Simpsons. Go back to the basement now.
juan

Who are The Simpsons?

LoL
SarahP

juan said:
Who are The Simpsons?

LoL

I take it you live in a cave. LMAO.
Just4thefax

SarahP said:
I take it you live in a cave. LMAO.

Fact: Still stuck on stupid must make your pimp happy!
SarahP

Just4thefax said:
Fact: Still stuck on stupid must make your pimp happy!

Speaks for itself.
dummy123

FOX-NEWS rules the 25-54 demo in the cable news business!!
Simpsons hasn’t been funny in 15 years.
SarahP

dummy123 said:
FOX-NEWS rules the 25-54 demo in the cable news business!!
Simpsons hasn’t been funny in 15 years.

Depression must be a bitch.
Tedderman

The Simpsons spoofed Olbermann long ago and no-one even mentioned it. Whats’ wrong with the Faux Noise crowd?
Patrick Henry

SarahP said:
Depression must be a bitch.

Uh, no, that would be you.
Sean68

I happened to catch the start of this episode. I used to be an avid fan of the show, so I thought I’d take a look at what it has become. It was even worse than I’d imagined. The show is a mere shadow of its former self. Compare this episode with any one from 92-96 and you will not recognize it. Ideology aside, anyone who doesn’t admit that the show sucks now is just not honest. Cheap shots at Fox only highlight the decline.
skyfet

Oreiley can moan as much as he wants, the more he moans the more they should do it. Talk about thin skin. He brags about how poerful they are every time the opportunity comes, yet can’t handle been ridiculed, pothetic what a big cry baby.
ChrisNH

Fox News: Better that we sell Hate than Crack said:
You have to be a POS to watch Fox News.

Or read the haughty New York Times, or watch the always-unhinged MSNBC.
justanotherconservative

ganymede said:
Hats off to Matt Groening and the talented people who have created The Simpsons. I remember when Matt Groening had a brilliant but humble cartoon strip in the Village Voice. Now he’s been enormously successful and has the power to lay into the hypocrisy and mendacity of the Fox empire. He’s one of their top money producers and can get away with tweaking Murdoch. It will be interesting to see how far this will go. It’s great that Murdoch has areas where he is quite vulnerable. Rightwingers always accuse the Hollywood and whatever passes for America’s intelligentsia of being unpatriotic which, of course, is a bad joke. The reality is that people who have wider life experience and are well-read have a better grasp on what’s happening then people who get all their information from Fox and the Republican Party.

once again, you must be kidding..
http://sharethisurlaboutglennbeck.com/ GlennBeckReview

Arkansas Steve says:
“This ENTIRE story is about only ONE person who has a media outlet and thinks he will be noticed if he takes a shot at Fox News. Groening has crossed the line from entertaining to preaching. His action indicates he is just another putz wilh low self-esteem.”

I knew that someone under 75, who’s been hood-winked by this despicable propaganda noise outlet, would express the discomfort of having his panties in a big bunch about Groening’s slap at FoxPAC.

The only putz with low self-esteem here is the one who can’t see the lies coming from this far-right propaganda outfit.
writer

The Simpsons should do a joke about how Fox News is forcing people on the left to watch. That’s the only way to explain such constant outrage over something that can be remedied by simply changing the channel.