FAMILY GUYS
Working on The Simpsons’ new season’s Smithers special ‘ Portrait of a Lackey on Fire’ was a labour of love for the show’s writers Rob LaZebnik and his LGBTQ+ son Johnny, as they reveal here
Fully formed LGBTQ+ characters are thin on the ground in the world of animation, so ever since The Simpsons’ Waylon Smithers ‘ sort of ’ came out in the 2016 episode, ‘ The Burns Cage’, we’ve been keen to find out more. Now, finally, the new season’s Smithers special, ‘ Portrait of a Lackey on Fire’, has the answers we’ve been waiting for.
Here, Rob and Johnny LaZebnik, the fatherand- son team who co- wrote the episode, lift the lid on the creative process, as they join me on a Zoom call from West Hollywood.
When Rob, a long- term Simpsons writer, was thinking about how a special focused on Smithers’ personal life might take shape, he knew that, as a gay man and a fellow writer, his 27- year- old son Johnny should be on board.
He had provided a useful sounding board for Rob when he had written ‘ The Burns Cage’, so it made sense for him to lend his queer eye once more for season 33’ s ‘ Lackey…’.
“Johnny had been helpful on research and bouncing ideas off the first time. Now he’s a writer in his own right, so I thought: ‘ This would be fun to do together,’” explains Rob.
Summarising Smithers in one line, Rob says he i s “the most competent person on the show, managing this insane boss and running a power plant pretty much by himself.” And yet until ‘ The Burns Cage’, he had been cruelly underwritten.
Reflecting on that episode, Rob opines, “It’s considered the coming- out episode, although it wasn’t, technically. Everyone in Springfield already knew.” ( Rob has previously admitted to asking his son “Do you swipe on Grindr?” while writing the story.)
Smithers’ gayness — or, at least, his ‘ Burnssexual’ status — has been hinted at since the show’s 1989 debut — specifically, season one, episode eight (‘ The Telltale Head’), in which Mr Burns’ assistant first tells his forever- clueless boss that he loves him.
‘ Lackey…’ presented an opportunity to flesh out Smithers’ character. “I felt there was more to cover in his romantic life,” says Rob, before Johnny recalls working together on the episode.
“We settled on an ide a, wrote out the outline and spent hours and hours writing,” he says. “Editing jokes, trying to make each other laugh. I had a lot of ide as about how exactly a relationship with Smithers would look — someone who i s famously obsessed with an old man. I was like: ‘ I f eel it would be a daddy…’”
Step forward billionaire fashion designer and reality TV judge Michael De Graaf, who promptly sweeps Smithers off his sensibleshoed feet. “If you see [ a Michael], please give him my number!” laughs Johnny. “I don’t come across them as much as I wish I did!”
Johnny’s fingerprints, of course, are all over ‘ Lackey…’. “There are a lot of jokes for gay people that I had a hand in getting in there,” he explains. “There’s one about—”
“Lenny and Karl, top and…!” I excitedly interrupt. ( Although it’s perhaps ‘ bottom and…’ in this case.)
Johnny laughs. “I’m a huge Lenny and Karl fan. We worked on that scene a bunch of times, and I was like, ‘ How can we get this joke to stay in?!’ Also, there are so many moments of sweetness and romance. We get gay people being funny and having sex in the media — seeing them falling in love is actually still pretty rare.”
He also suggested Titanic actor Victor Garber in the role of Michael: “My dad said: ‘ Who do you think should play him?’ I was like, ‘ In my dreams, Victor, but we can think more realistically.’ He was like: ‘ We can reach out.’
And he said yes!”
Another guest star was Mamma Mia! actress Christine Baranski: “Unbelievably nice and hilarious — a great sport,” according to Rob.
“The great thing about The Simpsons is, we can frequently say ‘ I wonder if we can get Christine Baranski?’ The next thing you know, she’s in. It often doesn’t take a lot of work! Both Johnny and I were there when we directed her.”
“I was like, ‘ I’m going to do a Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again reference if it kills me,’” adds Johnny. “Dad was like: ‘ People won’t get the reference.’ I was like [ raises voice]: ‘ We’ve got a Chernobyl parody! We’re doing this!’”
Johnny also seized the opportunity to make “one or two” Springfieldians “canonically queer”; one of them is the ‘ heteroflexible’ Disco Stu. (“It’s a very specific vibe, and I do believe he has it.”) There’s also a cute reference to a gender- diverse puppy. “It’s impossible to tackle all of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum in one episode,” admits Johnny. “But I like that little nod to: ‘ Hey, there are more than two genders.’”
Johnny’s ease with his sexuality is clear to see. “I like to describe myself as the only well- adjusted twink in existence!” he giggles, before giving “entire” credit for this to his parents. “They’ve always done a great job at making me feel loved and accepted,” he says, sharing a supportive start in life so many LGBTQ+ kids miss out on.
In fact, Rob’s writing on ‘ The Burns Cage’ was inspired by the lack of drama that surrounded his son’s sexual awakening.
“It’s impossible to tackle all o f the LGBTQIA ” spectrum in one episode
He explains: “When people ask, ‘ How did Johnny come out?’ I always say: ‘ He still hasn’t!’ Which I think is a good thing. But I remember when he was three, seeing Bette Midler on the TV and saying: ‘ I really like that lady!’”
“I told people when I found out,” reflects Johnny on his super- chill coming- out story.
“I didn’t know I was flamboyant for forever! Looking at photos of me from a young age, I’m walking around in jelly Crocs with a Lion King purse, pushing a stroller. And I’m like: ‘ I thought I was straight for so long!’”
When asked if we might see a t rans character on the show before long, Rob and Johnny are enthusiastic at the thought. “I think that’s definitely possible — it would be great,” offers Rob. “Part of what’s amazing about the show 34 years in i s we can add and bring in people. We have a new teacher for Bart because we very sadly lost Marcia Wallace, who voiced Edna Krabappel [ in 2013]. It was such a loss. We’ve had such a hard time even thinking of a permanent replacement, as she was so beloved.”
As for the fans’ reception of ‘ Portrait of a Lackey on Fire’ — despite complaints of ‘ wokeness’ on the MailOnline comment boards — there’s been little to no anti- LGBTQ+ feeling.
“For any episode, you brace yourself for reaction,” admits Rob. “And maybe this one especially. But it’s been really good. In fact, we’ve just this week found out we’ve been nominated for a Writers Guild of America award.” ( On Simpsons creator Matt Groening’s response to the episode, he adds: “I believe he’s happy with it — I haven’t talked to him directly about this one. But he signs off on all the episodes and is there throughout the process.”)
The pair hope to work together again in the future — and herein lies the only negativity Johnny’s faced. “My favourite thing is: ‘ Father and son? That’s nepotism!’” he cries. “‘ I’ve brought out my little detective glass and noticed you’re related…’ We keep being like: ‘ Yes. I’m an animation writer; I have a career in this.’ I’ve no guilt about it.
“This isn’t the last time we write together, Simpsons or otherwise,” asserts Johnny, before we conclude our interview ( and all but exclude Rob) with a frank discussion about our unattached status.
“I’m single,” confirms Johnny, before potentially unleashing chaos: “Any English men reading the magazine are welcome to DM me!”
The Simpsons is available to watch on Disney+