The Simpsons used to be the kind of show families could watch together.
Those days are officially over.
And The Simpsons creator went woke and told kids one shocking thing that will infuriate parents.
Another beloved show bites the woke dust
For decades, The Simpsons represented something rare in Hollywood – entertainment that the whole family could enjoy together.
Sure, the show had its edgy moments and adult humor, but it never crossed the line into outright political activism.
That all changed at San Diego Comic-Con when creator Matt Groening showed his true colors.
During what should have been a lighthearted panel about upcoming guest stars and storylines, Groening decided to turn his platform into a political soapbox.
The mask finally came off, and what families saw underneath wasn’t pretty.
"The Simpsons predicts kids across America will liberate their Republican parents from the cult of MAGA," Groening declared to the crowd. "And here’s how you do it. Grab the TV remote, go to menu, go to controls, vertical controls, look for channel list and delete Fox News."¹
Even disguised as one of his trademark "predictions," this wasn’t comedy – it was a direct instruction manual for family destruction.
Groening just told millions of children exactly how to manipulate their parents’ technology and censor the news they choose to watch.
That’s not entertainment. That’s indoctrination.
Woke Hollywood targets America’s living rooms
The Simpsons going full woke represents more than just another show jumping on the progressive bandwagon.
This is about the systematic destruction of shared cultural experiences that once brought American families together.
For 37 seasons, The Simpsons occupied a unique place in American culture as appointment television that parents and children could watch side by side.
Sunday nights meant gathering around the TV to laugh at Homer’s antics and Bart’s pranks.
Now Groening has weaponized that trust to drive a wedge between parents and their children.
The longtime animator also used his Comic-Con platform to attack successful entrepreneurs, fantasizing about Elon Musk crashing on Mars and being stranded there forever, saying "most emotionally of all, he will be able to hear the cheering all the way."²
The audience of comic book fans ate it up, but parents across America should be asking themselves a serious question: Is this really the kind of content they want their children consuming?
The death of family-friendly entertainment
Groening’s woke transformation didn’t happen overnight.
The Simpsons has been gradually shifting leftward for years, but the creator’s Comic-Con comments represent a point of no return.
When show creators openly encourage children to deceive their parents and manipulate family technology, they’ve crossed from entertainment into activism.
Look, we’ve watched this movie before with other major entertainment brands.
Disney alienated millions of parents with their recent political messaging. Netflix keeps pushing content that makes families uncomfortable during movie night.
The Simpsons was different – or so we thought.
Here’s what makes this particularly frustrating: The Simpsons didn’t have a ratings problem. The show still pulls in solid viewership numbers after nearly four decades on the air. Fox wasn’t exactly hurting for revenue from the franchise.
So why rock the boat? Groening could have kept making millions while keeping families happy. Instead, he chose to lecture parents through their own children.
Another family tradition bites the dust
What really stings about Groening’s comments is how they represent the slow erosion of shared family experiences in America.
Remember when you could flip on The Simpsons without wondering if you’d have to explain political talking points to your kids afterward?
Those Sunday night traditions are becoming harder to find. Parents today face a minefield when choosing what to watch with their children. What seems innocent on the surface often contains messaging that directly contradicts family values.
It’s not just The Simpsons, either. Publishers are inserting adult themes into children’s literature. Toy aisles now feature products designed to start political conversations rather than inspire creativity. Even youth sports leagues have become platforms for social messaging.
The common thread? Companies that once understood their role was to entertain families now see themselves as educators with a political mission.
Sports leagues lecture fans about social justice instead of providing escape and entertainment.
And now even The Simpsons – a show that once celebrated the nuclear family through the adventures of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie – has become a vehicle for anti-family propaganda.
The irony is thick. A show that made its fortune depicting family dysfunction in a humorous way is now actively working to create real family dysfunction in American homes.
The fight for family entertainment continues
Groening’s woke turn should serve as a wake-up call for parents who still believe Hollywood cares about family values.
The entertainment industry has made its choice, and that choice is radical progressive politics over wholesome family content.
But parents aren’t powerless in this fight.
They can vote with their wallets by supporting entertainment that respects family values and avoiding shows that actively work to undermine parental authority.
They can seek out alternatives that still believe entertainment should bring families together instead of tearing them apart.
Most importantly, they can have honest conversations with their children about the difference between entertainment and propaganda.
The Simpsons may have gone woke, but American families don’t have to go along for the ride.
There are still plenty of entertainment options that respect the parent-child relationship instead of trying to exploit it for political gain.
The golden age of family-friendly television may be over, but the fight to preserve family values in entertainment is just beginning.
Parents who want to protect their children from woke indoctrination will need to be more vigilant than ever about the content their families consume.
The Simpsons used to be appointment television for American families.
Now it’s just another casualty of Hollywood’s war on traditional values.
¹ Michael Schneider, "’The Simpsons’ Upcoming Guests Include Kieran Culkin, Viola Davis, Idris Elba; Matt Groening on How to Liberate Parents from MAGA: ‘Delete Fox News’," Variety, July 28, 2025.
² Ibid.
