- 7 months ago
When The Simpsons take on politics, nobody is safe.
Welcome to WatchMojo, where we’re counting down the Top 10 funniest and most savage political roasts in The Simpsons. From jabs at presidents to parodies of political scandals, these moments prove why the show is still one of the sharpest in satirical comedy.
Which political joke from The Simpsons is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
Welcome to WatchMojo, where we’re counting down the Top 10 funniest and most savage political roasts in The Simpsons. From jabs at presidents to parodies of political scandals, these moments prove why the show is still one of the sharpest in satirical comedy.
Which political joke from The Simpsons is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
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FunTranscript
00:00Ah, excellent! Yeah, this is exactly the kind of trickery I'm paying you for.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the notable times Matt Groening's classic cartoon family The Simpsons took aim at politics.
00:13This is for the Commonwealth of Australia.
00:19Number 10. Birch Barlow.
00:21First appearing in the episode Sideshow Bob Roberts, this rotund conservative pundit was a parody of the late controversial radio host Rush Limbaugh.
00:29Barlow was the host of a local radio station in Springfield who worked tirelessly to make sure that Sideshow Bob became mayor of the town.
00:36My friends, isn't this just typical? Another intelligent conservative here, railroaded by our liberal justice system.
00:44Like with Limbaugh, Barlow's politics turn off a lot of people, but they manage to appeal to regular Joes like Homer for some mysterious reason.
00:52But for some reason this Birch Barlow really speaks to me.
00:59Good morning, fellow Freedom Likers.
01:03In portraying the character, Harry Shearer gets down Limbaugh's mannerisms and cadence and his over-the-top bombast.
01:10Our six-term mayor, the illiterate, tax-cheating, wife-swapping, pot-spoking, spandocrat, Diamond Joe Quimby.
01:19Number 9. The Australian Prime Minister.
01:21Occasionally, the Simpsons makes fun of politics in countries other than the United States, with Australia being a notable example.
01:29In Bart v. Australia, the government of Australia was shown in a less than flattering light.
01:34A member of parliament was a pig farmer with a coarse blue-collar accent, and the Prime Minister was a hick drinking beer while floating in the middle of a pond.
01:48That's a bloody outrage it is! I want to take this all the way to the Prime Minister!
01:53This insulting depiction was no doubt one of the many reasons why the people of Australia took issue with the episode when it first aired.
02:00Aye, mate! What's a good word?
02:03Number 8. Sideshow Bob Runs for Mayor.
02:06If there's one person who shouldn't be in public service, it's Sideshow Bob.
02:10That's mainly because of his attempts to murder Bart Simpson, among others.
02:15This does not stop Springfield from voting Bob as mayor, and unsurprisingly, he abuses his power.
02:20No, Bart, don't you see? Dead people can't vote!
02:24Later, it's revealed that Bob rigged the election by having dead people vote for him,
02:29which prompts the maniacal mayor to go on a tirade about how people clamor to be ruled by right-wing tyrants.
02:34We want the truth!
02:36You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!
02:39Kelsey Grammer, who voices Bob, is a real-life conservative, and it's fun to watch the actor satirize his own political views.
02:46But why?
02:47Because you need me, Springfield.
02:51Number 7. Apu's Immigration Dilemma.
02:53When Springfield votes on a proposition that would get rid of illegal immigrants,
02:57Apu finds himself in trouble as he's been living in the U.S. without documentation.
03:01The whole episode focuses on Apu's plight as an undocumented immigrant,
03:05and the struggles and prejudice that immigrants face.
03:08I cannot deny my roots, and I cannot keep up the charade.
03:11I only did it because I love this land, where I have the freedom to say and to think and to charge whatever I want.
03:19I want to stay, but as the real me.
03:21Fortunately, Apu is able to pass the citizenship test and be naturalized before the proposition passes.
03:28Okay, Apu. Stay awake and stay focused.
03:31Cotton Mather.
03:32Much has been said about how The Simpsons uses Apu as the butt of jokes,
03:38but this episode makes Apu a fuller character, giving him more depth.
03:42Yes, I am a citizen.
03:45Now which way to the welfare office?
03:47Number 6.
03:48Twirling Towards Freedom.
03:50In the Treehouse of Horror segment Citizen Kang,
03:52Kang and Kodos kidnap Bill Clinton and Bob Dole,
03:56impersonating the two presidential candidates.
03:58Well, thanks for taking care of Dole for me.
04:00Hey!
04:00Trying to pass off as human, the pair nevertheless exhibit odd behavior.
04:08But the highlight has to be Clinton's speech at the debate where the soaring rhetoric gets absurd.
04:13My fellow Americans, as a young boy, I dreamed of being a baseball.
04:18The speech manages to be as generic as a traditional politician stump speech,
04:23but also goofy because of its inhumanity.
04:26Bill Clinton is a great target for political satire,
04:29which The Simpsons frequently made fun of.
04:31We must move forward, not backward.
04:34Upward, not forward.
04:36And always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom.
04:41Number 5.
04:45Homer's Political Talk Show.
04:47After a video of Homer ranting goes viral,
04:50he becomes a talking head on a cable news network
04:52and eventually gets his own show called Gut Check.
04:56Oh, yeah, that's right.
04:57It's already happening, people.
04:59Hoard your toilet paper.
05:01Shoot the mailman!
05:02Unsurprisingly, Homer's show focuses more on over-the-top delivery
05:06than it does substantive content.
05:09However, Homer's everyman schtick resonates enough with audiences
05:12that the Republican Party lets him pick their presidential candidate that year.
05:15I command you to vote for this man whom I alone have selected as your next president.
05:21Now to baptize his candidacy with my tears.
05:24His choice is none other than right-wing eccentric Ted Nugent in a hilarious guest spot.
05:30Gut Check is a spot-on parody of over-the-top political rhetoric
05:33that was popular at the time with political hosts like Glenn Beck.
05:37Well, for one brief glorious moment, I was almost president.
05:41Sort of, not really.
05:42Now let me just play a sweet song that I'll never hear.
05:45Number 4.
05:46Lisa Becomes President.
05:47A casino manager gives Bart a peek into the future where Lisa becomes president.
05:51But her presidency is full of hardships.
05:54The country is heavily in debt, with creditor nations demanding their money.
05:59And Bart makes things harder when he moves into the White House.
06:02Bart, we're having a meeting.
06:03We had a meeting this morning.
06:04I have a lot of meetings.
06:05I'm the president.
06:06What?
06:07The United States of dorksylvania?
06:09The episode has lots of jabs at U.S. politics.
06:13But perhaps the most noteworthy gag was the unwittingly accurate prediction
06:17that Donald Trump would one day become president himself.
06:19As you know, we've inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump.
06:23How bad is it, Secretary Van Houten?
06:27We're broke.
06:28Given the trillions of dollars of debt the U.S. is in,
06:32this could be the country's future.
06:34I will not mince words.
06:35Your country needs you.
06:37That's why today I'm proposing a temporary refund adjustment.
06:41Number 3.
06:42Homer Gets a Gun.
06:44This episode explores the Second Amendment and gun culture in America,
06:47making fun of how easy it was for someone like Homer to get a gun
06:50and his irresponsible gun ownership.
06:53Just give me my gun.
06:54Sorry, the law requires a five-day waiting period.
06:57We've got to run a background check.
06:59Five days, but I'm mad now.
07:02Homer and Marge end up having a large disagreement
07:04over whether a gun makes you safer
07:06or exposes your family to more danger.
07:09The episode wasn't entirely anti-gun,
07:12but was able to poke fun at the subject.
07:14Homer, I don't want guns in my house.
07:18Don't you remember when Maggie shot Mr. Burns?
07:20I thought Smithers did it.
07:21That would have made a lot more sense.
07:23One of the funniest parts of the episode
07:25was Homer frantically waiting for his background check to clear
07:28while Tom Petty's The Waiting is overheard in the background.
07:31The waiting is the hardest part.
07:36Number 2.
07:37Mr. Burns runs for governor.
07:39In this classic episode from Season 2,
07:41the billionaire power plant mogul makes his gubernatorial bid
07:44after the state government issues hefty fines
07:46for regulatory violations.
07:48However, I will not overlook the 342 violations
07:52I have observed at your plant today.
07:54C. Montgomery Burns does not have a natural personality for politics,
07:59so his campaign staff has to be creative to make him presentable.
08:02Their job to turn this Mr. Burns into this.
08:07Why are my teeth showing like that?
08:10Because you're smiling.
08:11Ah, excellent.
08:13The whole episode points out how fake the performative arts of politics are,
08:17as Mr. Burns uses every opportunity to pivot to his campaign rhetoric.
08:22The ending where Marge ruins Mr. Burns' prospects
08:24was a nice heaping helping of karma.
08:27Before we continue,
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08:53Number 1. Homer Fights George Bush
08:58This moment stems from a previous dispute
09:01between George H.W. Bush and The Simpsons.
09:03President Bush called out the animated family in a political speech,
09:06and the show decided to return the favor
09:08by dedicating an episode to Poppy.
09:10Where'd you get those pajamas?
09:12They're presidential pajamas.
09:13You have to be president.
09:14And you're not president.
09:16Yes, I am.
09:17No, you're not. Bar!
09:19In the episode,
09:20the Bushes move next door to The Simpsons,
09:22but unfortunately for Mr. Bush,
09:24Bart antagonizes him endlessly,
09:26starting a feud between the families.
09:28Hiding behind your goons, eh, Bush?
09:31Whoa!
09:33Well, you are a wimp!
09:37The episode makes fun of Bush's reputation
09:39for being reserved and uptight,
09:41essentially turning him into Mr. Wilson from Dennis the Menace.
09:44The fight between Bush and Homer at the end of the episode
09:47is nothing short of epic.
09:49Ah!
09:50Ah!
09:53Ah!
09:53Ah!
09:56Yay, Dad!
09:57What's your favorite political moment from The Simpsons?
10:00Let us know in the comments.
10:01We are merely exchanging long protein strings.
10:04If you can think of a simpler way, I'd like to hear it.
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