8 Huge Stars Who Rejected The Simpsons (But Were Parodied Anyway)

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Since its debut in 1989, *The Simpsons* has evolved from a promising new cartoon into a global cultural icon and a beloved television tradition. The show is famous for mixing humor with touching and sometimes dramatic storylines, which has built it a large and loyal fanbase that still tunes in after over thirty seasons. For many viewers, watching *The Simpsons* is a deeply ingrained habit, and it seems the show will remain a part of our culture for years to come.

Despite its huge popularity, *The Simpsons* hasn’t been able to get every celebrity to appear on the show. In fact, many stars have turned down requests to be on it. What’s funny is that the show often makes fun of those celebrities anyway, even if they didn’t want to participate. While most stars likely enjoy the publicity, some simply weren’t comfortable being the target of the show’s jokes.

8) Prince

As a huge Simpsons fan, I’ve always been fascinated by the stories of what *could* have been, and the tale of Prince almost appearing on the show is one of the saddest. Apparently, they wanted to bring back the character Michael Jackson voiced in “Stark Raving Dad,” but this time with Prince! The plan was for Prince to believe he was actually *playing* the “Purple Rain” singer in the episode. Sadly, there was a problem with the scripts getting mixed up, and the whole thing fell apart. It’s just a real shame because imagining Prince on The Simpsons is amazing, and it never happened!

Despite never making a guest appearance, *The Simpsons* frequently referenced and parodied Prince. He first appeared as a background character among the online fans in the “Radioactive Man” episode, and later became part of a darkly humorous scene in a *Treehouse of Horror* segment where Homer accidentally kills several musicians, including Prince with his own guitar. These jokes always seemed to be made with affection, making it a disappointment that Prince never had the chance to voice a character on the show.

7) Michael Caine 

A standout celebrity cameo from the classic years of *The Simpsons* was James Woods playing a humorous version of himself in the episode “Homer and Apu.” Interestingly, the role wasn’t initially intended for Woods; it was first offered to Michael Caine. Caine declined the part, which then went to Woods, resulting in a performance that was both funny and cleverly self-referential.

The writers of *The Simpsons* playfully responded to Michael Caine’s previous refusal to appear on the show. In the episode “Burns’ Heir,” Mr. Burns tricks Bart by hiring actors to portray his family, and the actor playing Homer strongly resembles Michael Caine. When this actor speaks, he deliberately uses an accent that clearly imitates Caine’s unique voice. It was a lighthearted jab at the actor, and notably aired soon after he turned down a part on the series.

6) Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood is a Hollywood icon known for his work as both an actor and director, so it’s no surprise *The Simpsons* wanted him to appear on their show. They offered him the part of Dr. Wolfe, the dentist, in the episode “Last Exit to Springfield,” but he declined. Hank Azaria, a regular voice actor on *The Simpsons*, ended up playing the role. The show later playfully mocked Eastwood by imitating some of his most famous characters and films.

After Clint Eastwood declined a role in the show, *The Simpsons* playfully poked fun at him in two ways. First, they created the character McGarnagle, a tough detective clearly inspired by Eastwood’s famous role as Harry Callahan in *Dirty Harry*. Second, in a season nine episode, the Simpson family was shown disappointed after renting Eastwood’s musical film *Paint Your Wagon*. McGarnagle became a beloved, humorous minor character, and the *Paint Your Wagon* scene is still considered one of the show’s best jokes from its most popular years.

5) Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is a hugely influential musician, and the creators of *The Simpsons* wanted to honor him by featuring him in the season 7 episode “Homerpalooza.” The plan was for Dylan to appear as one of the performers at a fictionalized Lollapalooza festival, alongside Neil Young and Courtney Love. However, Dylan, Young, and Love all declined the offer. The show then revised those parts and featured Smashing Pumpkins and Cypress Hill instead. *The Simpsons* didn’t let the rejection go and later made jokes about Bob Dylan’s decision.

The sixteenth season episode “She Used to Be My Girl” included a humorous interview with Bob Dylan, played by himself, where he deliberately mumbled an answer to a question about his faith. This was a playful way to acknowledge his famously private personality and quiet voice. It was also a nod to the fact that Dylan previously declined to record a voice cameo for the show, so the writers made his character’s speech unintelligible as a joke.

4) Quentin Tarantino 

In season 8 of *The Simpsons*, the episode “Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious” included a guest appearance by Quentin Tarantino. He was originally asked to voice himself as the director of a special Itchy and Scratchy cartoon, but he wasn’t happy with the lines he was given. Ultimately, Dan Castellaneta ended up voicing Tarantino in a humorous portrayal of the director and his filmmaking style.

Despite Quentin Tarantino’s refusal to participate in a Simpsons episode because he didn’t like the script, the show still parodied him. The episode’s portrayal of Tarantino is a sharp and surprisingly accurate impression of his speech patterns and enthusiastic explanations of how he films violent scenes. It’s a hilarious moment that feels particularly biting, especially since Tarantino didn’t even provide his own voice for the character.

3) Richard Simmons 

When “Burns’ Heir” aired during the fifth season of *The Simpsons*, Richard Simmons was a hugely popular and recognizable TV personality. He was asked to play a robotic version of himself in the episode, and although he was initially enthusiastic, he ended up rejecting the script. The scene featuring the Richard Simmons robot was removed from the original broadcast, but later appeared in season 7’s “The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular.”

The *Simpsons* episode “Burns’ Heir” is a classic from the show’s best years, and while the incredibly funny scene with the dancing, exploding Richard Simmons robot felt a little out of place, it was too good to cut. After gaining popularity at fan events, the scene was eventually included. It’s a really clever joke that uses a well-known celebrity in a unique way, but it’s a shame Richard Simmons didn’t actually voice the robot.

2) Multiple Former U.S. Presidents 

Throughout its long history, *The Simpsons* has featured numerous U.S. presidents, both past and present. The show is also known for playfully poking fun at those same leaders, and has even invited them to appear as themselves on several occasions. For example, every living former president was asked to be in a season 4 episode, and other presidents have been approached to voice their characters but declined.

The Simpsons has consistently handled political satire with sophistication. The show continued to playfully mock politicians, just like any other public figure, but had to do so using impersonators instead of the presidents’ actual voices. Several former U.S. presidents, including Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford, have been featured on the show through voice actors. Despite difficulty getting the presidents to participate directly, the writers haven’t shied away from sharp and critical humor.

1) Shirley Temple 

Many great episodes of *The Simpsons* aired after its most popular years, and some involve celebrities who were asked to appear on the show. For example, Shirley Temple, the famous child star, was offered a role playing a character based on her own life. However, she didn’t accept. Reportedly, she felt the character, Vicki Valentine, was a disrespectful portrayal of her and she told the show’s writers exactly what she thought.

Despite Shirley Temple declining to participate, *The Simpsons* still created a parody of her. The episode featured a character, Vicki Valentine, as a washed-up child star who now teaches dance and subtly undermines her students’ confidence. It’s hard to say whether Temple would have been upset by the final version of the character, or if the writers intentionally made it harsher because of her refusal to be involved. Ultimately, she declined the role, and *The Simpsons* proceeded with the parody anyway – a daring and hilarious move.

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2025-10-19 19:13