The Simpsons writer addresses gay sex joke made about Lenny and Carl

Johnny LaZebnik said he fought to keep the line in the series

The Simpsons writer Johnny LaZebnik has addressed a gay sex joke made in the show about recurring characters Lenny and Carl.

In the new episode of the long-running animation, fashion designer Michael Le Graaf – Smithers’ new boyfriend – mistakes the two Springfield residents for a couple.

When Le Graaf is seen inspecting their outfits, Lenny asks the fashion expert what he thinks of his “top”, after which Le Graaf blatantly looks at Carl and replies: “Very nice.”

LaZebnik – who wrote the joke – said that he fought to keep the line in the series despite other writers arguing that viewers would not understand the joke.

He told Attitude: “I’m a huge Lenny and Carl fan… We worked on that scene a bunch of times, and I was like, ‘How can we get this joke to stay in?’”

He went on to suggest that it is a joke “for gay people”, adding: “There are a lot of jokes for gay people that I had a hand in getting in there.”

The writer said that his father – who is also a writer for The Simpsons – was one of the people worried that fans “won’t get the reference”.

During an appearance on The Gayest Podcast Ever, LaZebnik said he was thankful to “lend a little more authenticity” to The Simpsons.

‘The Simpsons’ (Photo courtesy of The Gamily Library/YouTube)

He said that his father had consulted him on a joke about the LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr in order to ensure the reference would feel authentic.

“I think my dad’s specific question was like, ‘Do you swipe on Grindr?’ And I was like, ‘Absolutely not, you don’t,’” he explained.

“That is the kind of thing that a straight person would throw in as a joke... then a gay person watching it would be like, ‘I feel so alienated by this content because you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.’”