Fans are talking about The Simpsons again. It's all because of Marge, the cartoon family's raspy-voiced, blue-haired matriarch. Marge's apparent demise has got tongues wagging. Social media is abuzz with comments such as #RIPMarge and #SimpsonsShock. It seems that the "death" of the beloved animated character is causing quite a flap, and sparking a flurry of online discussion. Outraged fans have slammed the "stupid decision." So, what's really going on?
Well, Simpsons fans can relax. Marge is not really going anywhere. Neither is The Simpsons. Fox, which has broadcast the popular animated series since its premiere in 1989, announced in April that it had renewed the show until its 40th season in 2029, which ensures that the long-running series will surpass 800 episodes.
There is no indication that any of the voice actors, including Julie Kavner, who provides Marge Simpson's gravelly voice, is going anywhere either. (Prior to voicing Marge, Julie portrayed Brenda Morgenstern, Rhoda's younger sister on the 1970s sitcom Rhoda).
Season 36 finale of The Simpsons, which aired on Fox on May 18, 2025, has caused quite a stir. The episode continues to air on Disney+. SPOILER ALERT if you haven't watched it yet, but intend to do so. I am about to reveal the details. The episode, entitled "Estranger Things," provides a glimpse of of the Simpson family 35 years into the future. We never learn the circumstances of Marge's death. We never learn how or when she passed away. However, we do know that her life was cut short. "Marge passed before Homer, if you can believe it," sings Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, as a montage of grieving family and friends is shown before a headstone that reads, "Beloved wife, mother and pork-chop seasoner." Marge later appears in a pre-recorded message, and in heaven.
Just as Marge had feared, her two older children, Bart and Lisa, have drifted apart since they stopped watching their favourite kids show, The Itchy and Scratchy Show, together. They bonded over the show, which they have outgrown. As adults, their lives have gone in different directions. Lisa, it turns out, has become the commissioner of the NBA. She is supporting her widowed father who lives in an unlicenced retirement home, run by her deadbeat brother in one of his shady money making schemes.
After some sparring over Homer's living arrangements, a senior's protection agency sends the widower off on a bus to Florida, whereupon Lisa and Bart embark on a mission to get him back, In the process, the siblings find a video that Marge recorded before her death, encouraging her eldest children to stick together.
The family eventually reunites at their Springfield home at 742 Evergreen Terrace, albeit without talkative younger sister Maggie, who is working as a farm equipment auctioneer. Lisa and Bart watch their beloved Itchy and Scratchy Show again, as Marge looks down on them from heavenly clouds, and expresses her happiness that her children are close again. The Beatles' drummer Ringo Star appears from behind her, reminding her that they should not be late for the heavenly shrimp buffet. Then comes another stunning revelation. Marge kisses Ringo, proclaiming that "I'm so glad that we're allowed to marry different people in heaven."
There has been so much response to the supposed death of Marge Simpson that the show's executive producer, Matt Selman, felt compelled to issue a statement in which he claimed that reports of Marge's death are greatly exaggerated. In an interview published on June 26, Selman told Variety that Marge's death cannot be considered canon. "There is no canon. The Simpsons doesn't even have canon!" he declared. He then cited the numerous contradictory flash-forwards that have occurred on the show over the years. "Obviously, since The Simpsons future episodes are all speculative fantasies, they're all different every time. Marge will probably never be dead ever again. The only place Marge is dead is in one future episode aired six weeks ago," Selman explained.
Selman blamed media outlets for posting clickbait headlines about Marge in order to generate traffic. "Here's my take: Websites need traffic and headlines equal traffic," he told Variety. "And then you can explain that the headline was misleading at the very end of the article. Every single media outlet that ran this story knew that in way was Marge dead. They all knew it, but they ran the headline anyway."
That's true, but at the same time, all that media flurry sparked renewed interest in The Simpsons. Selman was certainly pleased about that. He added, "I guess this speaks to the fact that people care about Marge. A the end of the day, it's probably good for business even when these ridiculous, misleading stories go viral."
SOURCES: Entertainment Weekly, "Relax, Marge Simpson isn't really dead, says 'The Simpsons' showrunner," by Kristen Baldwin, June 27, 2025; Epicstream.com (epicstream.com), Is Marge Really Dead on The Simpsons. Producer Sets the Record Straight," by Michael Baculinano, June 27, 2025; CNN, "Marge Simpson isn't dead yet, so everyone can calm down," by Lisa Respers France, June 26, 2025; CBC News, Why Marge Simpson's death suddenly has viewers talking about The Simpsons again," by Nick Logan, June 25, 2025, Wikipedia
- Joanne
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