The Simpsons Censored On Disney+ Over A Joke
The Simpsons episode "One Angry Lisa" has been pulled from Disney+ in China
Disney+ has enjoyed the luxury of owning the entire back catalog of The Simpsons, the longest-running American animated series of all time, ever since the corporate giant acquired 21st Century Fox back in 2019. Now, Disney has come under fire for censoring episodes in Hong Kong due to jokes that negatively reflect the government of China.
Deadline reports that a 2022 episode titled One Angry Lisa has been pulled from the streamer due to a joke in which the Simpsons family matriarch says “Behold the wonders of China: bitcoin mines, forced labor camps where children make smartphones.”
This is not the first time Disney+ subscribers in Hong Kong will be missing out on an episode of the hit show. Back in 2021, subscribers stumbled upon a mysteriously absent episode in The Simpsons catalog, the 2005 episode unfortunately titled Goo Goo Gai Pan. The episode contains a reference to a 1989 military conflict in Tiananmen Square, which has become a meme in the United States due to the Chinese government’s refusal to publicly acknowledge the events which took place.
At this time, the Chinese government maintains that they are not responsible for banning the episodes or pressuring Disney to do so, though it is unclear exactly when the Simpsons episodes were pulled or by whom. The Chinese government also denies any allegations of forced labor within their country. Obviously, somewhere along the way a decision was made to pull these two episodes in particular from streaming in Hong Kong, though Disney has refused to comment on the censorship.
This is not the first time censorship has impacted American media within China’s borders, as Chinese standards and practices have dominated Hollywood boardrooms for years. Many films, such as 2014’s Transformers: Age of Extinction, as well as 2015’s The Martian, contain elements that appeal specifically to a Chinese market, in order to be played in selective Chinese theaters, providing them access to the largest population on the globe.
Film regulations regarding censorship have recently undergone a radical change within Hong Kong, leaving many to believe that the episodes of The Simpsons should be returned to their place in the queue.
The Simpsons may seem tame by today’s standards, with foul-mouthed cartoons running wild a la Rick and Morty or Bojack Horseman, but the show has famously remained controversial since its inception. Kids who went to public schools across the United States throughout the 90s and early 2000s may remember a time when Bart Simpson merchandise such as shirts and backpacks were banned due to their inflammatory nature. Since the cartoon’s debut in 1989, over 700 episodes have aired, with several being pulled from the air for a myriad of reasons.
This likely isn’t the last we’ll be hearing of censorship regarding the iconic jaundiced residents of Springfield, as The Simpsons has recently been renewed by Disney through 2025 along with Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers.
As Hong Kong continues to analyze it’s laws and regulations regarding streaming content, the missing episodes may soon return to Disney+ within the region. Of course, if the issue regarding the censored episodes continues, this may simply become fodder for an episode in season 39.
