Fans express mixed feelings over Homer Simpson no longer strangling Bart on ‘The Simpsons’

A long-running gag on the long-running “The Simpsons” is apparently changing with the times, Fox5 News is reporting.

One of the most popular bits on the animated series features family patriarch Homer angrily strangling his oldest child Bart while screaming: “Why you little.”

However, in the third episode of season 35, which aired on Oct. 22, Homer tells wife Marge that he’s changed his ways.

As Homer shakes the hand of a new neighbor, the neighbor notices Homer’s strong grip.

“See, Marge, strangling the boy has paid off,” Homer says in the episode called “McMansion & Wife.” Before adding: “Just kidding, I don’t do that anymore. Times have changed.”

Many fans have taken to social media to voice their approval. “Took them long enough,” one viewer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

While others have expressed mixed feelings:

“Is it just me or is The Simpsons stopping Homer from strangling Bart a bit? Confusing. It was a joke, but now I feel like all this time I’ve been watching Homer abuse his son. Before, it was just Tom and Jerry-esque humor.”