Lisa Simpson might be queer, says ‘The Simpsons’ showrunner

“In my opinion, this is definitely a possibility”

The Simpsons showrunner Al Jean has said Lisa Simpson could be part of the LGBT+ community.

While the character has previously had crushes on Nelson Muntz and became obsessed with the Corey Hotline in early seasons, a number of hints have led to speculation that Lisa could be queer.

The most notable is in season 23 episode Holidays Of Future Passed, where a montage of pictures showing the family in the future depicts Lisa holding hands with two women on the couch – suggesting she might be in a polyamorous relationship.

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Speaking to Digital Spy, Jean welcomed the idea of Lisa being queer. “In my opinion, and this is just my opinion, that is definitely a possibility for Lisa’s life,” Jean said. “She is open and, you know, somebody who loves everything. Why not?”

The Simpsons
The annual terror-themed ‘Treehouse of Horror’ episode. Credit: Sky

The show won’t be making Lisa’s identity official any time soon though, with a future episode set to revive Lisa’s crush on Nelson.

Jean added: “In an episode in the future, it’s actually her and Nelson, which is again, a little bit of a leap! We have a show coming up where in the future Lisa might get together with Nelson and features Simu Liu from Shang-Chi as Lisa’s husband.”

The showrunner previously suggested he could see Lisa being polyamorous during an interview with Metro in 2019, saying: “I see Lisa as President and possibly polyamorous.”

Lisa’s sexuality has been addressed in other episodes. In season 32 episode Mother And Child Reunion, a fortune teller tells Lisa she has a 42 per cent chance to have a boyfriend in the future and a 72 per cent chance for a girlfriend. In response, Lisa remarks: “I like those odds!”

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In recent years, the show has pushed to diversify its characters. Last year, Waylon Smithers, who came out on the show in 2016, had a gay romance storyline with boyfriend Michael De Graaf, a fashion designer voiced by Victor Garber.

Speaking about the episode to the New York Post, co-writer Johnny LaZebnik said: “So often, gay romances are a subplot or alluded to or shown in some kind of montage or as a punchline.

“And what I think I was really excited about, with this episode, we get to see – without spoiling too much – the beginning, middle and who knows how it ends of a gay relationship, of really getting into the nitty-gritty of how gay people date, how they meet, what it’s like.”

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