3 Reasons Why I Lament That My Daughter Will Never Get To Watch The Only Banned Episode Of The Simpsons On Disney+

In an unexpected twist in my household, my daughter is a massive fan of The Simpsons.

I say unexpected, because when I introduced her to the show, I thought that much like the other shows that I've tried to share with her from my childhood, she would just give me a polite smile, and then find an opportunity to leave. But no, she loves The Simpsons, and now has seen every episode on Disney+ (including the shorts!). Well, every episode except for one.

And, that's Season 3’s first episode, “Stark Raving Dad,” which was pulled from Disney+ after HBO's Leaving Neverland aired. I lament that it's gone now, and for a number of reasons. Here are just three.

The Character, Leon Kompowsky, Reappears In A Later Episode, But My Daughter Has No Frame Of Reference

My daughter is at the point where she's seen every episode and is now rewatching them. Well, I actually stepped into the room when she was viewing Season 29’s episode 8, “Mr. Lisa's Opus,” and when I saw Leon Kompowsky, who was the character formerly voiced by Michael Jackson, I said, “Oh, yeah. They brought him back,” and my daughter was like, “Huh?”

That’s when I remembered that his first episode had been pulled, because my daughter hadn’t been into The Simpsons when it first appeared on Disney+. Since she’s seen every episode, season by season, it upset her since here was this character whom she didn’t recognize, and until I brought up that an episode had been banned from Disney+, she probably never would have known.

Now that she does, she’s disheartened because she’s a completist, just like me. And she thought she had seen every episode, IN ORDER, but now, that’s not the case, which is a bummer.

Both Of My Children Love Michael Jackson, And The Simpsons

I was a huge fan of Michael Jackson growing up (Well, except for Moonwalker, which scarred me as a child), and another aspect of my youth that I’ve shared with my children is Michael Jackson’s music, and they love it, too! (Especially my son. He can’t wait to see the Michael Jackson biopic).

Anyway, as viewers of The Simpsons, it would have been cool if my kids had gotten to watch “Stark Raving Dad,” as they likely would have questioned, just like many of us did as kids, if it really WAS Michael Jackson’s voice coming out of that big white dude’s mouth. But my children didn’t get that opportunity, which sucks.

I remember it being a pleasant surprise back then that The Simpsons was able to get MJ to lend his vocals that early on in the series. My kids probably would have also gotten a kick out of it, too, hearing one of their favorite singers make an appearance on one of their favorite shows. So, yeah, as I said, it sucks. My kids didn’t get to experience that.

It's A Really Good Episode, And It's A Shame That They Can't Just Watch It On Disney+

Lastly, most old-school Simpsons fans will agree that the best seasons of the show are Seasons 3-10, with Season 3 really being the one that jump-started the golden age. And, Season 3 STARTS with “Stark Raving Dad.” It’s the episode that, by all accounts, is the introduction to the best period of The Simpsons, and now that episode is completely gone from Disney+ for future generations.

Now, it’s been gone for a while, but that’s the thing about Disney+, it serves as an archive that younger generations can open up and enjoy. In every way, your Disney+ subscription offers new content, but it also acts as preservation. “Stark Raving Dad” is a really good episode of The Simpsons, full of heart and great jokes (and a great song! “Lisa, it’s your birthday! Happy birthday, Lisa!”), but now, my kids can’t enjoy that episode. At least not on Disney+.