"The Simpsons" Showrunner Thinks Michael Jackson Used Cameo To "Groom Boys"

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Characters from the film pose for photos during the hometown premiere of 'The Simpsons Movie' on July 21, 2007 in Springfield, Vermont.
Al Jean explains why "Stark Raving Dad" was removed from the series.

HBO's Leaving Neverland documentary placed a huge spotlight on the decades-old allegations of child molestation Michael Jackson faced during his career. James Safechuck and Wade Robson spoke out in the documentary and since it aired, many have distanced themselves from Michael Jackson's estate. Radio stations across the world have pulled the late singer's music from rotation. The Simpsons also recently revealed that they've pulled Michael Jackson's episode from the series but what's more shocking is that the showrunner thinks the singer used his cameo as a way to "groom boys."

Speaking to The Daily Beast, Al Jean explained why The Simpson's episode "Stark Raving Dad" from season 3 was pulled from the series. While the allegations in the documentary were enough to make the decision, Jean said that he thinks the episode was used as a tool for the iconic pop singer to draw in underage boys.

"It wasn’t something that makes me happy. It’s something I agree with completely. What saddens me is, if you watch that documentary—which I did, and several of us here did—and you watch that episode, honestly, it looks like the episode was used by Michael Jackson for something other than what we’d intended it. It wasn’t just a comedy to him, it was something that was used as a tool," he explained. "I think it was part of what he used to groom boys. I really don’t know, and I should be very careful because this is not something I know personally, but as far as what I think, that’s what I think. And that makes me very, very sad."


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Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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