In addition to the show's regular cast of voice actors, celebrity guest stars have been a staple of The Simpsons, an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company, since its first season. The Simpsons focuses on the eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The family was initially conceived by Groening for a series of animated shorts, which originally aired as a part of The Tracey Ullman Show between 1987 and 1989. The shorts were developed into a half-hour prime time series which began in December 1989.[1] The series' 36th season premiered on September 29, 2024, and 769 episodes of The Simpsons have aired. A feature film adaptation of the series called The Simpsons Movie, was released in 2007.
Guest voices have come from a wide range of professions, including actors, athletes, authors, musicians, artists, politicians and scientists. In the show's early years most guest stars voiced original characters, but as the show has continued the number of those appearing as themselves has increased.
Three guest stars, Ricky Gervais, Seth Rogen and Pete Holmes, earned writing credits for the episodes in which they appeared. Grammer, Mason and three-time guest star Anne Hathaway all won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for guest voice roles on the show. The show was awarded the Guinness World Record for "Most Guest Stars Featured in a TV Series" in 2010. As of September 29, 2024, there have been 985 guest stars on the show,[A] with this figure rising to 989 if The Simpsons Movie is included.
Guest voices have come from a wide range of professions, including actors, athletes, authors, musicians, artists, politicians, scientists, historians, film producers, film directors, and animators. In the earlier seasons, most of the guest stars voiced characters, but eventually more started appearing as themselves.[3] The first male guest star was actor Sam McMurray, who voiced a worker at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant in "Homer's Odyssey", the show's third episode, and Marcia Wallace was the first female guest star on the show starting from "Bart the Genius" as Edna Krabappel and Ms. Melon. Singer Tony Bennett was the first guest star to appear as himself, appearing in the season two episode "Dancin' Homer" while Aerosmith were the first band with their cameo in the third season's "Flaming Moe's".
Several guest stars have made multiple appearances on the show, often as recurring characters. Actress Marcia Wallace guest starred 176 times, making her the most recurring female guest star on the show, until her death in 2013. Edna Krabappel was then retired from the show, but sometimes appears as a ghost, and actor Phil Hartman guest-starred in 52 episodes, more than any other male actor, although his initial role in the second season episode "Bart Gets Hit by a Car" in 1991 was intended to be a one-off.[4] He voiced the recurring characters Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz as well as numerous other one-time characters, until his death in 1998. McClure and Hutz were subsequently retired from the show.[5] Actor Kelsey Grammer first appeared as Sideshow Bob in the first-season episode "Krusty Gets Busted" while actor Joe Mantegna made his first appearance as Fat Tony in the third season episode "Bart the Murderer". The two have appeared in 21 and 28 episodes respectively; Mantegna also appeared in the film. Both roles were originally written for other actors: Bob was originally to be voiced by James Earl Jones,[6] who later guest starred three times on the show, while Fat Tony was written for Sheldon Leonard.[4] Other repeat guest stars include Albert Brooks, Glenn Close, Jan Hooks, Maurice LaMarche, Jon Lovitz, Jane Kaczmarek, Jackie Mason, Charles Napier and Frank Welker.
According to Groening, guest star choices "come from the writers saying, 'Wouldn't it be cool to have [such a person on the show]?'",[7] while showrunner Al Jean has stated the reasoning is "we want to meet our heroes."[8]Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, showrunners of the seventh and eight seasons, favored guest stars with what they felt were unique and interesting voices such as actors R. Lee Ermey, Donald Sutherland, Kirk Douglas and Lawrence Tierney.[9] In 2014, Jean stated that fewer people would be appearing as themselves, as the staff did not want it to become a "crazy roster".[10]
Many guest stars come into the show's recording studio to record their parts,[7] although some are recorded over the telephone.[11] Three guest stars have been credited with writing the episode in which they guest starred. Comedian Ricky Gervais wrote the episode "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife",[12] while actor Seth Rogen co-wrote the episode "Homer the Whopper" with Evan Goldberg, and comedian Pete Holmes wrote the two-part "Warrin' Priests" episodes.[13] Two guest stars were credited with pseudonyms. Actor Dustin Hoffman was credited as "Sam Etic" for the episode "Lisa's Substitute" while musician Michael Jackson was credited as "John Jay Smith" for the episode "Stark Raving Dad". After the latter episode, the producers decided that if a celebrity wished to guest star on the show, they had to be willing to be credited under their real name.[14]
Others have accepted the offer, but have been unable to record a role. Musician Frank Zappa and actor Anthony Perkins both became too ill to record their parts,[20][23] while Jim Carrey had to drop out due to time constraints,[24] and Faye Dunaway cancelled.[25]Christopher Walken originally agreed to appear as himself in "Insane Clown Poppy". However, he then decided to demand a lot more money than the producers were willing to pay. Instead, Jay Mohr provided the voice of Walken. The end credits state "Jay Mohr as Christopher Walken". This is the first time this has ever been done.
Robby Krieger of The Doors recorded a cameo for the episode "The Great Money Caper", but his part was cut because the writers felt his appearance seemed too forced. The scene was later included on the season's DVD release.[26] Similarly, actress Catherine O'Hara recorded the voice of Colette the waitress in "Flaming Moe's", but was redubbed with Jo Ann Harris who the producers felt was a better fit.[27]Ron Howard, in what would have been his third appearance on The Simpsons, was advertized as guest starring on "Children of a Lesser Clod".[28] However, he did not appear for any recording sessions. Similarly, Werner Herzog was advertized as guest starring in "Thanksgiving of Horror", in what would have been his third appearance as Walter Hotenhoffer,[29] but did not appear in the final episode.
Mason, Grammer and Anne Hathaway have each won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for their guest voice roles on the show.[30] The show was awarded the Guinness World Record for "Most Guest Stars Featured in a TV Series" on May 23, 2010, with Guinness estimating that the show has featured "at least 555 as of series 21".[31] As of September 29, 2024, there have been 985 guest stars on the show, totalling 1656 guest spots.[A] These figures rise to 989 and 1664 respectively if The Simpsons Movie is counted as well.
The color of the season number in the first column corresponds to the color of that season's DVD boxset or digital purchase image for the seasons which have not been released in physical format.
In the No. column:
The first number refers to the order it aired during the entire series.
The second number refers to the episode number within its season: i.e. 1506 would be the sixth episode of the fifteenth season.
The production code refers to the code assigned to the episode by the production team. The first two characters refer to the season the episode was made for. The first season is 7Gxx, the second is 7Fxx, the third is 8Fxx and the fourth is 9Fxx. After that, the fifth season started with 1F and continued in order until season nine (which was 5F). Starting with season ten, the production codes started with AABF, with the first letter changing for each season (i.e. BABF, CABF, etc.). The number at the end of the code is the order in which that episode was produced during that production run.[32]
Guests with "(archival)" after their names refer to cases where roles were not recorded specifically for the episode, but instead archival audio and/or footage from independent sources was used in the episode. In most cases these appearances have been uncredited and are usually not considered as proper guest stars given the circumstances.
The following have been announced as guest stars for upcoming episodes that have not yet aired. This however is subject to change as sometimes in the past announced guest stars have had their appearances cut for time, been removed or replaced, or for some other reason have not appeared in the final episode.
Additionally, executive producer Matt Selman stated that he has a part in mind for Larry David for an upcoming episode but has doubts whether he'll accept the offer.[320]
Guest stars with multiple appearances
The following people have guest starred on the show twice or more.
1 Indicates the figure includes an appearance in The Simpsons Movie2 Indicates the figure includes an appearance in the Butterfingers commercials3 Indicates the figure includes an appearance in "Do the Bartman" music video4 Indicates the figure includes an appearance in a The Simpsons Game5 Indicates the figure includes an appearance in "The Simpsons Ride"6 Indicates the figure includes an uncredited appearance7 Indicates the figure dictates appearances as a recurring guest star up until joining the regular supporting cast
Beyond the television series and the movie, there have been other media products of The Simpsons where guest stars have provided vocal talents in addition to the regular cast. From music videos, to video games, commercials and theme park rides, the following guest stars have appeared in various Simpsons-related media.
The show has also had several guest animators who will do their own version of the show's opening credits, from just a couch gag to the whole introduction. Starting from the 22nd season, these following guest animators have contributed to the show:
Notes: Jones was the original choice for the role of Sideshow Bob, until producers decided on Kelsey Grammer instead. Jones would go on to guest voice several times on the show still, starting in the very next season.[328]
Notes: Taylor was originally going to reprise the role of Bleeding Gums Murphy from "Moaning Lisa", but could not record the part because he was in New York at the time, so Daryl Coley took over for him.[329]
Notes:Larry King's role was originally intended for Shatner and Springsteen, but both rejected the offer. Shatner turned the offer down because he thought the producers were going to make fun of his speech patterns.[330]
Notes: Scheduling conflicts stopped Takei from reprising his role as Akira from "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish" so cast member Hank Azaria did an impression of Takei. While Takei would appear in other roles following this, Azaria would then continue to voice Akira for most of the series from then on, until Takei would reprise the role over 20 years later in "What Animated Women Want".[331]
Notes: O'Hara recorded all her lines for Collette, but the producers felt that her voice did not suit the character so used supporting cast member Jo Ann Harris' temp track instead, whereby Harris had done an impression of Shelley Long's character of Diane Chambers from Cheers. O'Hara was still credited at the end of the episode despite all of her dialogue being replaced.[333]
Notes: Originally guest star José Canseco was slated to wake up in bed with Edna and miss the game in a parody of Bull Durham, but Canseco's then-wife, Esther Haddad, objected. Edna's part was cut but Wallace had still recorded dialogue and was still credited at the end of the episode.[336]
Notes: The episode's original subplot was intended to include Rickles presenting a comedy show and Homer laughing excessively at his jokes, until Rickles ridicules him. The pair were intended to start fighting and end up having to go to court. Despite production staff being sure that Rickles would appear in the episode, he was reportedly upset by the concept of the storyline, as he did not wish to be portrayed as a "mean guy". When attending a Fox Broadcasting Company publicity event in New York City with Rupert Murdoch, creator Matt Groening was introduced by Murdoch to Rickles. Rickles began shouting at Groening, accusing him of spying on his Las Vegas act and using material from that for the episode. The cast actually had been receiving recordings from Rickles from the 1950s to use as ideas on how to get the style for his animatic portrayal.[337]
Notes: Both Star Trek actors turned down the role that went to Leonard Nimoy. Shatner turned down the show for the second time, while Takei only rejected the part because he did not want to make fun of public transportation as he was a member of the board of directors of the Southern California Rapid Transit District (now the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority). Producers had originally skipped asking Nimoy assuming he would turn the part down, only to be pleasantly surprised when he accepted.[338]
Notes: The producers wrote the part of Tom for Cruise having been informed the actor was interested in guest starring, only for him to reject the part when offered. The role was offered to recurring guest Phil Hartman instead.[19]
Notes: Both Eastwood and Hopkins turned down the role of Dr. Wolfe when offered. Perkins agreed to voice him but died before he could record any lines. The part went to cast member Hank Azaria instead.[20]
Notes: Simpson was originally wanted for the guest panelist on Smartline, but he turned down the part that would go to Dr. Joyce Brothers instead. Producers later stated they were happy it turned out this way given the controversy that would later surround Simpson.[20]
Notes: Scheduling conflicts prevented Lovitz from being able to reprise his role of Artie Ziff from "The Way We Was" and Dan Castellaneta filled in the role. Lovitz would go on to voice Ziff in the future.[339]
Notes: Scheduling conflicts prevented Rocco from being able to reprise his role of Roger Meyers. Jr. from "Itchy & Scratchy & Marge" and Hank Azaria filled in the role. Azaria would continue to voice the character for the next few seasons, though Rocco did return to the role twice more.[339]
Notes: A planned follow-up to "Stark Raving Dad", the plot focused on Michael Jackson impersonator Leon Kompowsky returning to Springfield claiming to be the pop star Prince. The script was written by freelancers and polished by Conan O'Brien. According to executive producer Mike Reiss it saw Kompowsky encourage the Springfield residents to "loosen up, become more flamboyant and become more sexually open". Prince originally agreed to voice Kompowsky, but the writers discovered that Prince was referring to a different script entirely written by a friend of his. Prince disliked their script and demanded the other one be used, but the writers refused and the episode was never produced.[341]
Notes: Matt Groening and Zappa were friends and mutual fans of each other's work. Zappa had agreed to a guest spot on the show sometime around season 4, but became ill and died before he could record a part.[342]
Notes: A scene involving Hartman as Lionel Hutz was cut for time. The scene was released as a deleted scene on the DVD set The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season.
Notes: Hagler was the original choice for Gerry Cooney's role while Newton was the original pick for Robert Goulet's, but both rejected the offer. There was a brief period when the episode had a different subplot that revolved around the restaurant chain Planet Hollywood. Matt Groening had been told by a spokesperson that if he put Planet Hollywood in The Simpsons, Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Willis, would agree to make guest appearances on the show. The writers of were excited about this so they wrote a new subplot for the episode that featured Planet Hollywood and the three actors. However, for unknown reasons, they were unable to appear in the episode.[343]
Notes: Caine was the original choice wanted for James Woods' part, but he turned down the offer. It's possible that producers also wanted Caine to voice himself in "Burns' Heir" that was produced around the same time and only aired five episodes later where Dan Castellaneta did an impression of Caine, but this has not been confirmed.
Notes: Simmons was interested in a guest spot but rejected the part when he learned he was going to be a robot. The scene was cut from the episode, but a version where the robot was voiced by Dan Castellaneta was shown as a deleted scene in "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular".[344]
Notes: According to writer Mike Scully the original draft of the episode featured cameos from the two ice hockey legends, but they were ultimately cut because they had such a good family story. Gretzky would eventually guest star in the episode "The Nightmare After Krustmas" more than 20 years later.[346]
Notes: These musicians were asked to take part in the episode, but declined. While Sonic Youth did appear in the episode, according to producers they would have refused to had Courtney Love (of Hole) accepted.[348]
Notes: The producers wanted James Bond theme vocalist Bassey to sing the theme for Scoprio, but could not get her so Sally Stevens provided the vocals instead.[349]
Notes: Dylan was a potential choice for the voice of the Coyote instead of Johnny Cash, despite having recently rejected the show before.[352] Shawn was another potential candidate according to Bill Oakley, though he would later guest star more than 20 years later as Wallace the Hernia in "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"[353]
Notes: The Mary Poppins actress was originally touted to play her parody, but Maggie Roswell did such a good job for the temp read that the producers decided to keep it.[354]
Notes: Turturro recorded Mr. Mitchell's dialogue, but when he refused to come in again for some re-takes his audio was cut and Dan Castellaneta re-voiced the character.[355]
Notes: Martin was the original choice for the part of Frank Grimes, but he turned down the offer. He did accept the role of Ray Patterson the very next season in "Trash of the Titans" however. The role went to Hank Azaria, who based his performance of the character on Macy specifically and thought that Macy should have done it. After his performance at the table reads however the producers decided to keep Azaria as the voice. Macy would eventually guest star in the episode "Homer's Paternity Coot".[356] Cage was also another consideration until Azara's performance sealed the deal.[357]
Notes: Albert was originally going to play Roy Firestone's part as a sports radio host, but was dropped following sexual assault charges that were made against him around the time the episode was in pre-production. Albert would later appear in the episode "The Burns and the Bees".[358]
Notes: These comedians were other options for Jay Leno's role in the episode, with character designs even done for Shandling. Leno was the first one to commit to the episode. Letterman would later guest star in a couch gag for "The D'oh-cial Network"[359]
Notes: Troy McClure was supposed to host The World's Deadliest Executions instead of Ed McMahon, but after Hartman's tragic murder the producers decided to replace the part out of respect.[360]
Notes: These celebrities were all offered the parts that would go to Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger but turned down the producers. Despite turning down the show multiple times in the past, Springsteen was originally pitched as a solo celebrity visitor and when he rejected the offer it was changed to a celebrity couple.[361]
Notes: Stern declined to voice himself, so parody character Jerry Rude was created instead and voiced by Michael McKean for his second guest stint on the show.[363]
Notes: Producers had originally wanted Temple to play parody character Vicki Valentine, but she was unable to record the role. Reynolds was then offered the role too but never responded, leaving Tress MacNeille to voice Vicki instead.[364]
Notes: When the staff learned that Barrymore wanted a part in an episode they wrote several scripts that might suit her. When she was offered the role of Becky or Krusty's daughter Sophie in "Insane Clown Poppy" she chose the latter and guest star Parker Posey voiced Becky instead.[365]
Notes: Rogers was the original choice for Willie Nelson's part. Rogers even made the writers rewrite the script to remove references to Kenny Rogers Roasters as a condition and when they did still declined.[366]
Notes: Reports of the nature of Walken not voicing himself after originally agreeing vary, from scheduling conflicts to asking for more money than the producers were willing to pay. Comedian Jay Mohr guest starred instead, doing an impersonation of Walken.
Notes: Krieger of The Doors had been promised a guest role on the show after the staff were allowed to use the Doors song "The End" for the episode "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder". However, during production, executive producer Mike Scully thought that the scene stood out too much and that Krieger's cameo felt "too obviously shoe-horned in," so the scene ended up being cut from the episode. The scene was later included in The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season DVD set.
Notes: Originally the third act was about the kids taking part in a film directed by Howard for what would have been his third appearance in the show, but it was changed. This is also reflected by the episode originally being titled "The Kids Stay in the Picture" instead. The producers also wanted a famous NBA player to appear in the episode, but none accepted the offer.[367]
Notes: Producers originally wanted Lucas to hang around in the Android's Dungeon instead of Stan Lee, but after initially being interested Lucas rejected the role after reading the script when he thought the writers were making too much fun of him and the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy.[369]
Notes: While recording lines for the episode, the staff were told that Duncan was visiting the Fox studios. Having not recorded the lines for the character yet, the staff asked Duncan if he wanted to voice the parody of his role from The Green Mile, but he declined. The role went to Hank Azaria and became a recurring character voiced by both Azaria and Kevin Michael Richardson.[370]
Notes: Brokaw declined the offer to voice himself only because he loved Harry Shearer's impression of him so much he preferred to hear it instead.[371]
Notes: Fierstein was originally asked to reprise his role as Karl from the episode "Simpson and Delilah" in a cameo appearance. In the script, Homer was thrown out of the house by Marge, and encountered Karl. The purpose of the appearance was to introduce a gay couple that Homer would live with. Fierstein however felt that "the script was a lot of very clever gay jokes, and there just wasn't that Simpsons twist" and turned the role down.[372]
Notes: Bon Jovi was the original choice for Jackson Browne's part. The musician had apparently been keen to guest star, but he did not like the script, specifically a dig at his latest album and a scene where he was going to be covered in spaghetti.[373]
Notes: All were potential English celebrities considered for the episode. The Beckhams were scripted to be seen bickering on the street, but were dropped when Tony Blair agreed to appear and it was deemed that they were not famous enough in the United States and so were not approached. Archbishop of Canterbury Williams was a fan of the show and included in a draft of the script acting as a tour guide and showing some of his relatives around London, but Williams had to reject the part due to other engagements. The producers wanted an English musician for a part and approached Bowie and Morrissey but could not sync up a time to record them so the part was dropped.[374]
Notes: Stack was the original host of the episode instead of Isabel Sanford and even recorded his part, but he died before the episode aired and out of respect the producers recast the part.
Notes: Producers wanted Gandolfini to play Dante, and while The Sopranos actor was a fan of the show he turned down the role because he did not want to play "a hood" again. Joe Pantoliano guest starred in the role instead.[377]
Notes: Clooney turned down a chance to play a parody of his character from The Perfect Storm and it ended up going to recurring guest star Maurice LaMarche instead.[379]
Notes: Brockovich's part was cut for time and pacing.[382] According to Mike Scully in an interview, Knoxville was a potential replacement for Tom Hanks. This however may have been a joke on Scully's part given the context.[383]
Notes: The whole subplot of Driver's character helping Bart get through the humiliation after the fallout of his dare with Homer was cut as the producers felt it harmed the pacing of the movie.[384]
Notes: Fisher's character and scene were cut for undisclosed reasons.[385] Animator Derek Thompson later uploaded some of Fisher's part on Vimeo, which was initially part of an animation demo reel.[386]
Notes: Norton's part was redubbed by Dan Castellaneta because the producers felt the Woody Allen impersonation that Norton did for the character was too distracting.[387]
Notes: According to early reports instead of Denis Leary it was Damon's phone that fell into Bart's hands instead. Whether Damon refused or backed out due to scheduling conflicts or another reason is unknown.[390]
Notes: Originally Branagh was touted as the voice of Tom instead of Colm Meaney. Why he was replaced was unknown, but according to Al Jean he recorded his parts.[391]
Notes: Ireland was touted as playing herself in listings for the episode. However, although she appeared in animated form in the episode, a caption stated that the producers asked her to guest voice and that she had declined. Tress MacNeille provided her vocals instead.[392]
Notes: These television personalities were all touted as appearing in the episode, but did not appear in the final broadcast.[395] Amanpour would later go on to voice herself a decade later in the Season 35 episode "Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story"
Notes: When Black originally voiced Milo in the episode "Husbands and Knives" the producers had to call the actor back in to learn and sing "What's New Pussycat?" in Korean after the song "Goldfinger" (that he had originally also learned and recorded in Korean for them) was not allowed to be used on copyright grounds. According to Matt Selman after the trouble they had put him through they felt bad and could not bring themselves to get him back again, so the character of Milo was instead performed by Maurice LaMarche.[396]
Notes: Barrymore was apparently not interested in returning to the role of Krusty's daughter she originated in "Insane Clown Poppy" so was replaced by Natasha Lyonne for this episode and subsequent appearances as well.[399] Barrymore would however return to voice herself in the Season 34 episode "The King of Nice".
Notes: A scene that never made it into the final broadcast would have featured Lewis playing a Sideshow version of himself. He passed and the scene was cut, but there was an animatic of the scene released online by Matt Selman.[401]
Notes: Herzog was touted as guest starring in what would be his third appearance as Walter Hotenhoffer in listings for the episode, but did not appear in the final broadcast. Herzog would appear later in the season as Dr. Lund in the episode "Screenless".
Notes: The famous author was asked to make what would have been a second guest stint in this episode parodying of his own novel It as a magical gravedigger, but he declined.[404]
Notes: According to writer Michael Price a part was offered to the Scottish actor known for playing the Twelfth Doctor, but he was unavailable and had to decline.[405]
Notes: According to co-showrunner Michael Price a part was written for the former President of the United States where different celebrities did tributes to the show and Obama would compare the show to being the president, stating that you begin with eight great years then a lot of bad stuff follows. Obama's representatives passed because he was busy with work related to the 2024 United States presidental election.[406]
Rejected but accepted later:Martin Short rejected a role early in the show's history, but did agree to play Guthrie Frenel later in the episode "Springfield Splendor".[414] Hugh Jackman rejected an unknown role initially, but later agreed to play the Janitor in the episode "Poorhouse Rock"[409] Rejected by producers:Donald Trump[415] Other:
Robert De Niro was wanted for a part during Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein's tenure as showrunners (season 7 and 8) but they never found a role to suit him.[345]
While discussing successfully getting Michael Palin for a guest appearance for Season 32 at the Comic-Con@Home 2020 panel, Al Jean mentioned another member of Monty Python had turned them down. While not named it is implied this was likely John Cleese.[416]
In 2021 the staff stated that they had written a part in mind for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, but nothing seemed to have come from it. Yeardley Smith had stated several times that he had been a dream guest star of hers.[417]
Notes
^ A. This figure counts the members of bands with speaking roles separately. Bands who merely perform a song are counted as one because there is no confirmation of which of the band's members performed on their appearance.
^ F. While the entirety of the band The Decemberists were animated playing music in the episode, only Meloy had any individual lines and was credited.
^ G. Because her sister Janet was suffering from Parkinson's disease and had trouble delivering some of the longer lines, Maggy substituted for her when needed.
^ H. Consisting of Aron Michael Manderosian and Robert J. Manderosian.
^ J. Richardson's last appearance as a guest star before joining the supporting cast the following season.
^ K. While the entirety of the band OK Go were animated playing music in the episode, only Kulash and Nordwind had any individual lines and were credited.
^ L. Wallace's appearance consisted of one line of archival audio from the episode "Bart Gets a "Z"", Marcia Wallace having passed away in 2013.
^ M. Consisting of Head Ned, Red Ned, Stead Ned, Thread Ned and Bled Ned. While airing in April 2019, the music video used was from 2016 and thus featured former band members rather than the current lineup at the time.
^ N. Wallace's appearance consisted of archival audio of Edna Krabappel's laugh used in a new scene.
^ R. Mason's appearance consisted of one line of archival audio from the episode "Clown in the Dumps" used in a new scene, Jackie Mason having passed away in 2021.
^ abJean, Al. (2003). Commentary for "Bart the Murderer", in The Simpsons: The Complete Third Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
^Groening, Matt (December 29, 2004). "Fresh Air". National Public Radio (Interview). Interviewed by Terry Gross. Philadelphia: WHYY-FM. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
^Bird, Brad. (2001). Commentary for "Krusty Gets Busted", in The Simpsons: The Complete First Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
^Archer, Wes; Jean, Al; Reiss, Mike. (2001). Commentary for "The Call of the Simpsons", in The Simpsons: The Complete First Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
^Weinstein, Josh. (2005). Commentary for "Homerpalooza", in The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
^Brown, Daniel (July 22, 2007). "Eat My Sports: A Retrospective — Some Of The Sports World's Brightest Stars Knews They Hit It Big When They Guest-Starred On The Iconic Series". San Jose Mercury News. p. 1C.
^ abO'Brien, Conan (2004). The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season Commentary for the Episode "New Kid on the Block" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^Jean, Al (2004). The Simpsons season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Marge vs. the Monorail" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^ abJean, Al (2004). The Simpsons, The Complete Fourth Season audio commentary for the episode "The Front" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^Reiss, Mike. (2004). DVD Commentary for "Krusty Gets Kancelled", in The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
^Jean, Al; Polcino, Michael (2009). The Simpsons The Complete Twelfth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Children of a Lesser Clod" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^Scully, Mike (2010). The Simpsons season 13 DVD commentary for the episode "Treehouse of Horror XII" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.