The Simpsons showrunner Al Jean has paid tribute to Milhouse voice star Pamela Hayden in the most perfect way.
Jean has worked with Hayden, who is stepping down on Sunday (24 November), since their respective involvement in the long-running animated Fox show commenced in 1989.
The Simpsons’s fandom has been honouring Hayden for her stellar work over almost 700 episodes – and one person to do so is Jean, who referenced a classic Milhouse scene in his tribute.
He wrote after the news was announced: “It’s been an honour and a pleasure working with Pamela Hayden for 35 years.”
He added: “Pam, may your flood pants always be dry!” which is a reference to a classic season 10 episode titled “Mom and Pop Art” – the first instalment Jean wrote after returning to the writing team following a six-year absence.
In the 1999 episode, Milhouse is shown complaining about his shorts being too small for him. They are referred to as “flood pants”, alluding to the fact that, if he got caught in a flood, they wouldn’t get wed as they’re too high up his leg.
Lo and behold, Springfield floods and, when the water fails to reach his shorts, he exclaims: “Hey, they’re working! My feet are soaked, but my cuffs are bone dry!”
Here, Milhouse says the oft-quoted line: “Everything’s comin’ up Milhouse!”
Over the years, Hayden has also voiced Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders and Malibu Stacy. Milhouse will remain in the show, but will be voiced by somebody else.
The Hollywood Reporter said the hunt to replace Hayden will start in the near future.
The 36th season of The Simpsons started earlier this month with a parody episode that sent shockwaves around the fandom.
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The show’s most acclaimed episodes in years explored what makes an effective finale and imagined what the perfect ending of The Simpsons would look like – as written by AI.
However, it pranked many viewers by leading them to believe the show was actually ending.
When the title card first appeared on screen announcing the premiere as the “series finale”, viewers quickly jumped to social media to share their surprise at what they believed to have been a well-kept secret.
“IS THIS ACTUALLY THE SIMPSONS SERIES FINALE????” one asked, with another chiming in: “Wait, it’s like not REALLY The Simpsons Series Finale is it!? WTF!”