Matt Groening Confirms Michael Jackson Did a Voice Role in The Simpsons

Matt Groening put questions on whether Michael Jackson appeared on The Simpsons to rest once and for all. Groening appeared on Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s The Weekly with Charlie Pickering and confirmed that Jackson voiced the Michael Jackson character in the 1991 episode “Stark Raving Dad.” Jackson’s appearance has long been believed to be the case, but the character was credited to the pseudonym of John Jay Smith and has never been truly confirmed until now.

In the episode, a psychiatric patient at a mental institution calls the Simpson’s house and said his name was Michael Jackson, despite looking nothing like the King of Pop. Asked about the appearance, Groening told hip-hop artist Briggs, “You don’t have to put it in quotes…We really did have him.”

Groening said he initially hung up on Jackson when he called, thinking it was a prank call. “He has the voice of someone doing a Michael Jackson bit,” Groening said. He said once they did talk again, Jackson said he was a big fan of Bart. He notes that Jackson “did the show, he didn’t want credit for it — it was some kind of deal with his record company or whatever. So when it came time to sing the songs, he had a soundalike singer. And he stood there and watched the guy who was so nervous, who had to sound like Michael Jackson.”

The rumours circled every school playground in the 90s – was M.J. on #TheSimpsons? @Briggs ask the man himself, Matt Groening. #TheWeekly pic.twitter.com/8SSxqhKY7i

— The Weekly (@theweeklytv) August 29, 2018