3 Reasons Why I Lament That My Daughter Will Never Get To Watch The Only Banned Episode Of The Simpsons On Disney+

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In an unexpected twist in my household, my daughter is a massive fan of The Simpsons.

I was surprised she liked it, because whenever I’ve shown her shows from my childhood, she usually just politely tolerates them until she can excuse herself. But she actually loves The Simpsons! She’s watched every episode on Disney+ – all of them, even the shorts – except for one.

That concludes the first episode of Season 3, “Stark Raving Dad.” It was removed from Disney+ after the documentary Leaving Neverland was released, and I’m sad to see it go. Here are three reasons why.

The Character, Leon Kompowsky, Reappears In A Later Episode, But My Daughter Has No Frame Of Reference

My daughter has watched every episode of the show and is now going back to watch them again. I walked in while she was watching an episode from Season 29, “Mr. Lisa’s Opus,” and when I saw the character Leon Kompowsky – who used to be voiced by Michael Jackson – I said, “Oh, they brought that character back!” My daughter was confused and just said, “Huh?”

I realized his first appearance had been removed from Disney+ because my daughter hadn’t been watching The Simpsons when it initially streamed there. She’s since watched every episode in order, so seeing a character she didn’t recognize bothered her. She likely wouldn’t have even known about the missing episode if I hadn’t mentioned it had been taken off Disney+.

Now that she’s started watching, she’s upset because, like me, she likes to see everything in a series. She thought she’d watched all the episodes, and in the right order, but it turns out she hasn’t, which is disappointing.

Both Of My Children Love Michael Jackson, And The Simpsons

I grew up loving Michael Jackson – though the movie Moonwalker really frightened me as a kid! I’ve passed that love on to my own children, and they’re big fans too, especially my son, who is really excited about the upcoming Michael Jackson movie.

If my kids had watched the classic Simpsons episode “Stark Raving Dad,” it would have been fun for them to wonder, like many of us did growing up, if Michael Jackson was actually doing the voice for that character. Unfortunately, they never got to see it, which is a shame.

It was a really nice surprise when The Simpsons managed to get Michael Jackson to do a voice on the show so early in its run. My kids would have loved it – hearing one of their favorite singers on one of their favorite shows. It’s just a shame they didn’t get to see that episode.

It’s A Really Good Episode, And It’s A Shame That They Can’t Just Watch It On Disney+

Many longtime fans of The Simpsons consider seasons 3 through 10 to be the show’s best, with season 3 marking the beginning of its golden age. Notably, season 3 begins with the episode “Stark Raving Dad.” This episode is widely seen as the start of the show’s most beloved period, and it’s now been removed from Disney+, meaning future viewers won’t be able to see it.

Disney+ isn’t just about new shows and movies; it’s also a way to keep classic content available for future generations. While it offers plenty of fresh things to watch, it also preserves older favorites. For example, “Stark Raving Dad” is a funny and heartwarming episode of The Simpsons with a memorable song, but it’s currently unavailable on Disney+ for my kids to enjoy.

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2025-12-27 17:11