Jerry Springer Cameoed In One Of The Simpsons' Best Treehouse Of Horror Episodes

Even if longtime fans of "The Simpsons" have fallen away from their love of the series in recent years, the "Treehouse of Horror" episodes typically have the power to bring them back. Every Halloween for over 30 years, "The Simpsons" has delivered an ongoing series of anthology shorts that take inspiration from horror, sci-fi, and fantasy genres. Acting as "The Simpsons" version of "The Twilight Zone" or "The Outer Limits," each episode contains a few shorts that find Springfield's finest caught up in some kind of unbelievable story. It should come as no surprise that some of the great moments in Simpsons history comes from these episodes, and the recent passing of controversial talk show host Jerry Springer just reminded us of one of those hilarious bits. 

During the tenth season of "The Simpsons" in October 1998, writer David X. Cohen (who would go on to co-create the brilliant "Futurama") gave us the segment "Starship Poopers." Though the title riffs on "Starship Troopers," the short has noting to do with Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi action satire that was too smart for general audiences to fully understand. Instead, this segment pokes fun at another pop culture phenomenon of the time: the rise of trashy talk show fights courtesy of "The Jerry Springer Show."

In "Starship Poopers," Marge discovers that Maggie has sprouted her first tooth. But this isn't an ordinary tooth. It's a sharp fang. That turns out to be just the beginning of Maggie's odd developments, because the pacifier-sucking infant suddenly loses her legs and finds them replaced with green tentacles. Funnily enough, that pacifier ends up sending a signal to space to summon the tentacled green aliens known as Kang and Kodos, who have caused trouble for Springfield since the first "Treehouse of Horror" episode debuted in the show's second season in 1990. 

It turns out that Maggie's real father is Kang, and the alien invader demands that the family hand over Maggie. But Homer isn't having any of that. Of course, there's only one way to resolve an argument involving extra-terrestrial affairs and child custody.

Cut to an episode of "The Jerry Springer Show" in animated form with a segment titled, "My Daddy is a Space Monster." What follows is what many Jerry Springer parodies depicted at the time, from "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" to the talk show host's own movie, "Ringmaster." 

Jerry Springer voices himself in this segment, asking Homer how he felt when he found out that Maggie was fathered by "a drooling space octopus." The segment finds Kang coming out to cheers and boos as he hands a bouquet of flowers to a strangely satisfied Marge. Of course, it wouldn't be a Jerry Springer segment without Homer charging at Kang, punching him in the eye, and throwing around obscenities that need to be bleeped by the censors. Kang gets off an insult that mentions something bleeped about a "hyperbolic paraboloid" and Homer's mother. Classic Jerry Springer stuff.

An audience member in a horrid pink sweater with a poodle on it stands up and says she has a question for "that gross thing, whatever it is." Springer hilarious assumes she's talking about Homer until she clarifies that she's talkin about "the green dude." After pointing out that Kang has been absent from Maggie's life and needs to "learn his green ass some responsibility," Kang blasts her away with a green ray gun, and it's only a few seconds before the whole audience is zapped into oblivion.

While the idea of sparking a fight in "The Jerry Springer Show" was basic parody stuff at the time, the escalation here is what makes it stand out. After Springer tries to deliver his sensible "Final Thought" that ended every show long after everyone else humiliated themselves on television, Maggie lunges at Springer and wraps her tentacles around his face like a facehugger from "Alien." This starts a whole new battle between Homer, Kang, and Jerry Springer, who is now screaming bleeped profanity himself. Even Marge gets in on the swearing when she laments, "I'm so [beeping] embarrassed."

If you watch the fight between Maggie, Homer, Kang, and Jerry Springer, you'll notice that Springer ends up passing out because Kang's tentacle is wrapped around his mouth. That doesn't stop Kang from continually hitting him. But the real gut punch comes from Lisa.

After the fight ends, everyone is standing outside the studio. Marge says in genuine disbelief, "I can't believe Jerry Springer didn't solve our conflict." Lisa immediately says matter-of-factly, "And now he's dead." If that doesn't make you laugh today, then nothing will. Dark? Yes, but you know what else was dark? That period in the late '90s when America become obsessed with "The Jerry Springer Show." Seriously, go look at some of the segments from that show, many of which have aged rather poorly, and if you weren't alive during this strange time in pop culture history, or you somehow weren't paying attention, you'll be mystified about the subject matter. 

We're just glad that Jerry Springer had a good enough sense of humor about himself and his show to participate in parodies like this. After all, when you go from being a lawyer and politician to being the king of trashy television, you probably need to have a good laugh at your own expense. Springer would end up eclipsing the ratings of even Oprah Winfrey, and he laughed all the way to the bank. And now he's dead.