With its 36th season returning to the 2025 TV schedule this spring, The Simpsons continues to be the longest-running animated series in the country. However, while there isn’t an end in sight, that doesn’t mean things won’t change. Of course, the animation style has evolved over three decades, and there's been a rotating cast of voice actors, and all of that is a given. However, longtime Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria’s recent comments about the show’s future are bumming me out.
Azaria has been providing voices for The Simpsons since it started in 1989, and he's best known as Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Apu and many others. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem too confident that he will be sticking around to voice the iconic characters. In an opinion piece for The New York Times, Azaria shared his take on AI, and it’s certainly sad to think about how it could impact the beloved animated series:
I imagine that soon enough, artificial intelligence will be able to recreate the sounds of the more than 100 voices I created for characters on The Simpsons over almost four decades. It makes me sad to think about it. Not to mention, it seems just plain wrong to steal my likeness or sound — or anyone else’s.
AI is one of the reasons why the actors were on strike in 2023, and as much as most people don’t want it to happen, it wouldn’t be surprising if it became a bigger part of making films and television. The Simpsons has been on the air for almost 40 years, and it’s still going strong. So, I'd hope that if any show can avoid the AI complexities, it would be The Simpsons. But the fact that Azaria thinks that AI will eventually take over says a lot and is quite scary.
While it's unclear how AI would impact The Simpsons, it could be used to recreate voices for characters as it moves forward, as Azaria implied, and that would certainly be a crappy situation for anyone involved. Plus, watching The Simpsons characters that make us laugh made by AI would not be the same. Technology is forever changing, and with artificial intelligence making advances, it’s hard to predict how it will be even five years from now. Hopefully, it won't be in a place where it's taking opportunities away from voice actors.
At the very least, The Simpsons doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, and it’s likely the show wouldn’t want to replace any of the voice actors with AI. Fans will just have to remain positive that Hank Azaria and the rest of the cast will be able to stay on for as long as possible and that AI won’t be taking over their jobs.
The Simpsons won’t be back until the end of March on Fox, but those with a Disney+ subscription can watch the first 35 seasons, while those with a Hulu subscription can watch Season 36. There is still quite a lot to look forward to (including voices from Azaria), as long as it’s without AI.
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