TV catchphrases can sometimes be limited to a single word or, in very specific cases, a single grunt noise. Such is the case with Homer SImpson's iconic frustration-induced exclamation "D'oh," which has been a signature character trait for as long as he's been on our televisions. (A byproduct of living with a perennially ten-year-old Bart Simpson, no doubt.) If you've ever wondered just how many times Homer has uttered and hollered "D'oh!" over the years, get ready to be enlightened. Over the course of The Simpsons first 28 seasons, viewers have heard Homer say "D'oh" a whopping 1,130 times.
That number somehow sounds both high and low. On the one hand, it's kind of astounding to think about any TV catchphrase being used over 1,100 times. On the other hand, The Simpsons has been on the air for almost 30 years, so it seems possible that he could have said it many thousands of times in that span. Split across the 618 episodes that make up Seasons 1-28, "D'oh" has been said an average of around 1.83 times an episode, which also kind of feels low. (And it comes out to one "D'oh" every twelve minutes, for those wondering.) But then, there are episodes where Homer doesn't say it at all, even though there's always an impetus for it.
This and many more interesting factoids come courtesy of TonerGiant, which put together one of the more amazing infographics I've ever seen. (It helps that The Simpsons remains one of my favorite shows of all time.) We actually get to see a full breakdown of how many times Homer says "D'oh" across each of the seasons, with Season 4 earning the #1 spot with 100 uses, while Season 6 takes the last spot with only TWO instances of "D'oh" being used in that batch of episodes. Season 4 was definitely helped along by the episode "Brother from the Same Planet," which featured a shocking 34 instances, the most of any Simpsons episode. (In comparison, Season 1 and Season 2 combined for 35 uses.)
Another somewhat unbelievable stat is that there have been 142 episodes of The Simpsons where Homer didn't say "D'oh" at all. And the biggest span of time between uses took place mostly in 1995, with no "D'oh" usage happening between Season 6's eleventh episode (December 20, 1994) and the Season 7 premiere (September 17, 1995). The stats culled together for this fabulous pop culture survey did not include any of the Season 29 episodes, which means the total won't be outdated by next Sunday.
How many more times will we hear Homer say "D'oh" before The Simpsons comes to an end? There's no way to know, but you can find out first-hand by watching the animated mainstay every Sunday night on Fox at 8:00 p.m. ET. Check out what Matt Groening's new Netflix show will be about, and head to our fall TV premiere schedule to see all the other new and returning shows that will be D'oh-ing up on the small screen soon.
