The Simpsons writer addresses gay sex joke made about Lenny and Carl
Johnny LaZebnik said he fought to keep the line in the series
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Your support makes all the difference.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.
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.
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“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.’”
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