How Simpsons Writers Gay Son Helped Make Smithers Love Story Authentic

How Simpsons Writer’s Gay Son Helped Make Smithers’ Love Story Authentic

To craft the new love story for Smithers, Simpsons writer Rob LaZebnik’s son Johnny says his Dad consulted him for an added sense of authenticity.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

How Simpsons Writers Gay Son Helped Make Smithers Love Story Authentic

The Simpsons writer Rob LaZebnik turned to his gay son to help make Waylon Smithers’ new love story more authentic. The iconic series, now in the middle of season 33, has long grappled with its depiction of gay characters. As a consistent recurring character on the series, Smithers is arguably the show’s most notable gay character to date.

Voiced by Harry Shearer, Waylon Smithers’ history on The Simpsons dates back to some of the series’ earliest episodes. The right-hand man of Mr. Burns, Smithers was initially was depicted as a man obsessed with his boss in ways that hinted at a homosexual attraction. As the series progressed, these jokes became more pronounced and eventually became baked into the characters, thus creating a long-running debate as to whether or not he was gay or simply “Burnsexual” as some fans called him. These questions were definitively answered in 2016 when Smithers officially came out, ending the debate and creating representation for the LGBTQ community within the show’s recurring cast. The arc of Smithers’ sexuality has most recently been explored in “Portrait of a Lackey on Fire,” which sees him finally find love in the arms of a man named Michael De Graaf (Victor Garber).

With the debut of “Portrait of a Lackey on Fire,” writer Rob LaZebnik has taken one of The Simpsons’ biggest steps forward in its depiction of Smithers’ sexuality. In fact, during an appearance on Gayest Episode Ever (via Pink News), Johnny LaZebnik explained how his father consulted him on his writing for the episode to ensure an accurate portrayal of the gay experience. Read what Johnny said below:

See also  Until Dawn The Most Likable Characters Ranked

Smithers and our family have this weird, storied history at this point. My dad wrote Smithers’ ‘coming out’ episode and now this episode with me, and it’s really cool to be part of this evolution of Smithers into a three-dimensional gay character.

For the LaZebniks, the consultation was all about creating a sense of authenticity within the romance between the two characters. One key example noted by Johnny LaZebnik was his father’s request to know if the popular gay dating app Grindr used a swiping method popular on other dating apps. In these discussions, the two were able to bond over the handling of the characters. Clearly, the show has come a long way since its early days of merely dropping hints about Smithers’ sexuality.

The decision to make Smithers’ homosexuality a three-dimensional element of the character arguably represents one of the biggest progressions The Simpsons has ever made. The Simpson’ has not always presented the most flattering depiction of gay characters, with Smithers himself often being the butt of the joke simply because of his implied attraction to men. Episodes like “Homer’s Phobia” allowed The Simpsons to approach the topic of homosexuality from a heterosexual perspective, but the episodes from Rob LaZebnik have allowed the series to do something far more authentic.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/simpsons-smithers-love-story-gay-authentic-how-response/

Movies -