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This ‘Simpsons’ Joke Was So Controversial, Fox Actually Removed It: ‘It Was Inappropriate’

A 13-year-old boy objected to a joke about Tourette’s syndrome, prompting Fox to change the dialogue, though some of the gag remained.

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The Simpsons has stirred up its fair share of controversy over the years, but it’s practically unheard of for the showrunners to edit out a joke because of it. However, one rare exception occurred after the debut of the Season 4 episode “Marge Gets a Job.”

In the show’s subplot, Bart pretends to have several diseases so he can get out of taking a test at school, which, according to Mrs. Krabappel, includes an “unfortunate bout of Tourette’s syndrome.” When she brings the latter disease up, Bart tells her that he isn’t sure he’s over it, and carries on acting like he has the disorder:

The day after the show originally aired, a 13-year-old boy with Tourette’s wrote........

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