'Homer Simpson' Stops Strangling Bart Gag After More Than Three Decades on 'The Simpsons'

'Homer’s Law' halted gag about Homer Simpson strangling his son Bart 12 years ago, now acknowledged in recent episode of 'The Simpsons'.

Homer Simpson, on the latest episode of 'The Simpsons,' announced he's stopped the long-running gag of strangling his son, Bart. The decision seems to reflect the societal shift towards taking issues like child abuse more seriously, even in an animated sitcom context.
While the show lightly alluded to the gag's end during the episode titled 'McMansion & Wife,' Homer hasn't actually strangled Bart since season 31 (2019-2020) according to reports. The last time Homer actually choked Bart occurred during the episode 'The Winter of Our Monetized Content.'
The end of the choking gag was first hinted at in the Season 22 episode 'Love Is a Many Strangled Thing,' where Homer went to therapy and realized the harm he was causing Bart. However, the gag resumed in following seasons.
The recurring gag itself was initiated back in 1988 when the Simpson family first made their appearance on 'The Tracey Ullman Show.'
'The Simpsons,' now owned by Disney and streaming on Disney+, has slowly been reconsidering some problematic aspects of its storylines, reflecting the sensibilities of modern audiences.