# Simpsons character to come out of closet - any guesses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191 "2004-07-28T00:25:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/1 "2004-07-28T00:25:40Z")
[Sky News story](http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1145046,00.html). Fox 5 News is supposed to cover this story tonight on their 10:00 broadcast (according to the blurb I just saw). With Smithers and Selma as the two more obvious choices, I’m going to say it’s Lenny. Or Carl. Or possibly Moe. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/2 "2004-07-28T00:35:20Z")
No, Selma’s the twice-divorced one-Patty’s the one in the closet. (She was seen leaving the _Maison Derierre_ (how do you spell that) in the one where Bart works at the burlesque house.) I hope it’s not Smithers. It’s sooo much funnier with the inuendo all the time. I think he left the closet a long time ago-but if they came right out and SAY he’s gay, it would suck. So I’m guessing Patty. Or maybe Milhouse. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/3 "2004-07-28T00:35:53Z")
Smithers would be the most believable choice. If they’re going to pull someone out of left field, then I bet Moe. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/4 "2004-07-28T00:37:40Z")
Patty, Selma, I can never keep them, uh, straight. It notes that Homer is to become an Internet-ordained minister who can perform same-sex marriages. This leads me to eliminate Milhouse. Then again it IS the Simpsons. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/5 "2004-07-28T00:42:23Z")
There’s something on the [SNPP.com](http://SNPP.com) “Upcoming Episodes” page that I think probably settles the issue. Smithers isn’t in the closet - they went with the innuendo for years, but it’s become more than obvious now. At least one of the writers has said positively that he’s gay (and also that Milhouse isn’t). This can also be found at the SNPP site, I’m not sure which one said it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/6 "2004-07-28T00:55:21Z")
Yeah, but I still say it would suck if it were Smithers. It’s funnier when they just make it so obvious, but never come out and say, directly, “Smithers is gay.” Lenny and Carl would be a good choice. (After Milhouse, I’d guess Rod and/or Tod, but since neither are old enough to get married, it wouldn’t work) ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/7 "2004-07-28T01:05:14Z")
There have been a dozen or more hints about Homer being gay. “Stupid sexy Flanders.” ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/8 "2004-07-28T01:06:07Z")
What if it were Mr. Burns? Then he and Smithers could get married! ---
**Author:** ![AveDementia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@AveDementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AveDementia)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/9 "2004-07-28T01:12:39Z")
It’s got to be Barney. I just read in another thread that he has stopped drinking recently, so it sounds to me like changes are already underway with his character. It also wouldn’t contradict his past, since he hasn’t hooked up with anyone previously. (Not that having dated women would make it impossible, just that it would be a bigger change than having a non-dating character come out, making it less likely. I really can’t see it being Apu, for example.) And the other suggestions of it being Smithers or Patty doesn’t make sense either. Why would they kill their own jokes? My moneys on Barney, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/10 "2004-07-28T01:14:43Z")
> [@masonite](#): > > There have been a dozen or more hints about Homer being gay. > > “Stupid sexy Flanders.” They already did an episode about that… sorta. Anyway, it would cause too many problems. Here are some comments from the SNPP’s [List of Inquiries and Substantive Answers (LISA)](http://www.snpp.com/guides/lisa-3.html) > [@](#): > > **Are Smithers and Karl gay (or bisexual)?** > > Yes. According to former Producer David Silverman, Waylon Smithers and Karl (Homer’s secretary from 7F02, not Lenny’s co-worker) are both gay. End of discussion. > > When he spoke at Coffman Union at the University of Minnesota three years ago, Silverman was quoted as saying Smithers was “gayer than a Dutch bassoon.” > > Read the Simpsons Archive’s page on [Smithers’ Sexuality](http://www.snpp.com/guides/smithers.sexuality.html) for a list of all such hints revealed on the show. > > **Is Milhouse/Bart/Homer/Martin gay?** > > No, no, no, and probably not. Milhouse clearly has feelings for Samantha Stanky and Lisa. Bart clearly has feelings for Jessica Lovejoy. Homer is married and has been tempted on more than one occasion by other women, such as Maude Flanders, Lurleen Lumpkin, and Mindy Simmons. > > Martin, though on the effeminite side, probably has it in for an equally nerdy female. > > Unless one of these characters, or any other character for that matter, is actually “outed” on the show, posts indicating that any character is gay should not be taken seriously. Likewise, any such gags on the show (Bart wearing high heels, for example) should only be taken as a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/11 "2004-07-28T01:20:37Z")
What about Comic Book Guy? “_Mister_ X? Should I cross the Final Frontier??” (Yes, I know he dated Mrs. Skinner). Although if they wanted to make a statement, they would go with Ranier Wolfcastle. Not that I have any idea what sort of statement that would make… ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/12 "2004-07-28T01:22:05Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Smithers isn’t in the closet - they went with the innuendo for years, but it’s become more than obvious now. [http://www.doheth.co.uk/lists/smithers.shtml](http://www.doheth.co.uk/lists/smithers.shtml) Season 4 [9F05] Marge Gets a Job When Burns fantasies about Marge, he asks Smithers about that dream where you’re in bed and they fly in through the window. Smithers groans, imagines Burns himself flying through his bedroom window. HOW can that be other than a gay reference? That is from the first half of the 1990s. Smithers is hardly in the closet. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/13 "2004-07-28T01:27:39Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > HOW can that be other than a gay reference? That is from the first half of the 1990s. Smithers is hardly in the closet. Well, it’s obvious to us, the audience, but within the show, the closest Smithers ever came to being out was his failed attempt to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The rest of the time, he’s _so_ in, Peaches. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/14 "2004-07-28T01:30:03Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Well, it’s obvious to us, the audience, but within the show, the closest Smithers ever came to being out was his failed attempt to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The rest of the time, he’s _so_ in, Peaches. How about the time he took a vacation where taking photographs was frowned upon? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/15 "2004-07-28T01:31:29Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > HOW can that be other than a gay reference? That is from the first half of the 1990s. Smithers is hardly in the closet. I said he’s not in the closet. The thing is this: at first, he was just Burns’s lackey. Then it started getting over the top, and you started wondering if he was a suckup or if he actually loved Burns. I think the great sequence you refer to still fits in that category - Smithers seemed like the type so totally devoted to his job as a sycophant that you could believe he’d be with a woman and still have that dreams. Eventually they crossed the line and made it clear he was gay, although I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when. They did start consistently making gay jokes about him, like his little run-in with John in _Homer’s Phobia_, and Burns’ great line in _Homer the Smithers_ - “that man doesn’t know the meaning of the word _gay_” (cut to shot of Smithers in what appears to be a gay bar). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/16 "2004-07-28T01:33:04Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Well, it’s obvious to us, the audience, but within the show, the closest Smithers ever came to being out was his failed attempt to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The rest of the time, he’s _so_ in, Peaches. That, and when John (the gay men that saved Homer’s life) is at a restaurant w/ the Simpsons, and Smithers comes in and says, “So John, this is your sick mother!” ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/17 "2004-07-28T01:34:33Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Well, it’s obvious to us, the audience, but within the show, the closest Smithers ever came to being out was his failed attempt to march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The rest of the time, he’s _so_ in, Peaches. But Smithers has confessed his love for Mr. Burns, had “Thank you Smithers for turning me on” on his computer, and he kissed Mr. Burns when they thought they were going to die. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/18 "2004-07-28T01:37:27Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > That, and when John (the gay men that saved Homer’s life) is at a restaurant w/ the Simpsons, and Smithers comes in and says, > “So John, this is your sick mother!” Doesn’t mean they actually had a date. 😉 Smithers isn’t open about why he’s peeved, it’s just clear to us. Likewise, the Burns thing on the computer isn’t an example for being out. He does tell Lisa “you probably should ignore that.” ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/19 "2004-07-28T01:38:46Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I said he’s not in the closet. The thing is this: at first, he was just Burns’s lackey. Then it started getting over the top, and you started wondering if he was a suckup or if he actually loved Burns. I think the great sequence you refer to still fits in that category - Smithers seemed like the type so totally devoted to his job as a sycophant that you could believe he’d be with a woman and still have that dreams. > Eventually they crossed the line and made it clear he was gay, although I couldn’t pinpoint exactly when. They did start consistently making gay jokes about him, like his little run-in with John in _Homer’s Phobia_, and Burns’ great line in _Homer the Smithers_ - “that man doesn’t know the meaning of the word _gay_” (cut to shot of Smithers in what appears to be a gay bar). 😃 I still say the sequence I refer to is the first clear indication that Smithers is in the closet. All the other early references basically are others commenting the consider or suspect that Smithers is gay. However, that scene is about Smithers’ obviously homoerotic fantasy. However, as you point out later in the show’s run they make Smithers’ homosexuality increasingly obvious. As such, him coming out of the closet would just be a yawner of an episode. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191/20 "2004-07-28T01:42:58Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > However, as you point out later in the show’s run they make Smithers’ homosexuality increasingly obvious. As such, him coming out of the closet would just be a yawner of an episode. Exactamundo. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-character-to-come-out-of-closet-any-guesses/257191.md?page=2)