The Simpsons producer clears the air on Marge’s ‘death’

Fans of The Simpsons were left shocked after a recent episode appeared to show the death of Marge Simpson, sparking headlines and online discussion.

The final episode of The Simpsons season 36, set 35 years in the future, featured a scene where Homer is seen kneeling at Marge Simpson’s grave.

The tombstone reads “Beloved wife, mother, pork-chop seasoner,” while Sarah McLachlan’s voice sings, “Marge passed before Homer, if you can believe it.”

However, Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman while speaking to Variety, has responded to the reaction, insisting that the show has not killed off Marge at least not in a way that matters.

“There is no canon. The Simpsons doesn’t even have canon!” Selman said. He explained that the series often includes different future timelines and fantasy flash-forwards that contradict one another.

Read More: Marge Simpson ‘dies’ in The Simpsons season 36 finale

“Obviously, since The Simpsons future episodes are all speculative fantasies, they’re all different every time,” he said. “Marge will probably never be dead ever again.”

Selman also criticised misleading media headlines for causing unnecessary panic. “Websites need traffic, and headlines equal traffic,” he said.

“Every single media outlet that ran this story knew that in no way was Marge dead. They all knew it, but they ran the headline anyway.”

Despite the confusion, Selman admitted that the attention shows how much audiences still care about The Simpsons and especially about Marge Simpson.

“I guess this speaks to the fact that people care about Marge,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s probably good for business even when these ridiculous, misleading stories go viral!”

The episode in question, titled Estranger Things, takes a look at a possible future for the Simpsons family. In this version, Lisa is the commissioner of the NBA, Bart runs a shady retirement home, and Homer is one of its residents.

Marge appears later in a recorded message urging her children to reconcile which they do.

The final moments show Marge watching over her reunited family from heaven, now married to Beatles legend Ringo Starr. “I’m just so happy my kids are close again,” she says, before kissing Starr and heading off to the “Heaven Buffet.”

So while the series might have shown a possible future where Marge Simpson has passed away, fans can relax it’s not the end for her in the show’s true timeline.