The Simpsons Showrunner Addresses Theories of Lisa Being Queer

Over the course of more than 30 years, The Simpsons has rarely made permanent changes to characters that are honored in subsequent episodes, though longtime showrunner Al Jean recently addressed theories from fans that Lisa Simpson might be queer. Jean said it is “definitely a possibility” that Lisa could be queer, as the ambitious nature of the sitcom has seen installments explore the character’s future and in some of those futures, Lisa has been in relationships with women. However, the current-day Lisa has had relationships with and had crushes on boys, so it’s unknown if the character will ever earn a direct explanation of these theories.

“In my opinion, and this is just my opinion, that is definitely a possibility for Lisa’s life,” Jean shared with Digital Spy. “She is open and, you know, somebody who loves everything. Why not?”

He continued, “In an episode in the future, it’s actually her and Nelson, which is again, a little bit of a leap! We have a show coming up where in the future Lisa might get together with Nelson and features Simu Liu from Shang-Chi as Lisa’s husband.”

Interestingly, Lisa is one of the only characters who has had an episode change their entire trajectory in a way that is honored throughout the tenure of the program. In the Season 7 episode “Lisa the Vegetarian,” Lisa has an adorable encounter at a petting zoo that sees her becoming a vegetarian, with this being a staple of the character in the years since.

Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa, has previously addressed the idea that Lisa could be bisexual, though noted that with the character only being eight, these theories seemingly aren’t things she’s invested too much into.

“For me, I think Lisa definitely identifies as female, but the other thing I would say is, she’s eight, so even if you do happen to be transgender or people who are in the LGBTQ community often say ‘I knew from the get-go!’ but in my heart and soul, Lisa is eight and she loves girly things,” Smith shared with the Klein/Ally Show. “But I totally am on board with her exploring other ways of life, if that’s what makes her happy, I’m into that. Sure thing. But, she’s eight, people. She’s eight.”

Stay tuned for updates on the future of The Simpsons.

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