# Why wasn't Tracey Ullman one of the Simpsons voices? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2002, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654 "2002-09-25T19:02:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [September 25, 2002, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654/1 "2002-09-25T19:02:06Z")
I actually did search for this, but didn’t find anything… Why wasn’t Tracey Ullman one of the voices on The Simpsons? Julie Kavner and Dan Castellaneta were both cast members on the Tracey Ullman show, and the IMDb lists Nancy Cartwright and Yeardley Smith as “additional cast members” - although only as voices for Lisa and Bart, and I don’t remember either of them from skits on the show. So why didn’t Tracey, master of voices, voice Lisa or Bart? I remember watching that show, and I seem to recall that we all thought the Simpsons shorts were the best thing about it - was she just short-sighted, or did she have some conflict with Matt Groening? I know there was a law suit resulting in the Simpsons Shorts not getting into syndication nor on DVD, but that had to have been _after_ she decided not to become one of the voices… ---
**Author:** ![Threadkiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@Threadkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Threadkiller)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2002, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654/2 "2002-09-25T19:39:47Z")
Whatever past history they may have had, by season two Tracey and Matt had buried the hatchet enough that Ullman was a guest voice in [Bart’s Dog Gets an F](http://www.snpp.com/episodes/7F14.html) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654/3 "2002-09-26T15:24:56Z")
In the Season 2 DVD commentary heard on _Bart’s Dog Gets an F_, the producers claim that she was too busy with her show to do the voices, fwiw. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654/4 "2002-09-26T17:13:10Z")
Didn’t she also play the reverend’s manipulative daughter? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654/5 "2002-09-26T17:25:50Z")
Everything I’ve seen indicated that Ullman was too busy. Also, she had no way of guessing it would be so successful (and may not have been interested in any case). Remember, the Simpsons was the second animated short shown on her show – the first was “Dr. Janice N!Godatu” by MK Brown, which alternated with the Simpsons a half dozen times before they dropped it. Brown’s surrealism didn’t catch on, since it was more wierd than funny, ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654/6 "2002-09-26T19:00:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Didn’t she also play the reverend’s manipulative daughter? IIRC, that was Meryl Streep ---
**Author:** ![Threadkiller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aca169/32.png) [@Threadkiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Threadkiller)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654/7 "2002-09-26T19:14:10Z")
[Meryl Streep](http://www.snpp.com/episodes/2F04.html) it is. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654/8 "2002-09-26T23:48:48Z")
Tracey Ullman did a lot on her variety show on Fox. She was in every sketch and almost always in a lot of makeup and costumes. I doubt she would have had the time. Two words: CHOKE CHAIN! ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2002, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654/9 "2002-09-27T02:28:41Z")
Hello, mummy. It’s Kaaaaay! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2002, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-wasnt-tracey-ullman-one-of-the-simpsons-voices/129654/10 "2002-09-27T12:33:50Z")
Slight hijack: Nancy Cartwright is on Pyramid this week, if you want to see what Bart’s voice looks like.