'The Simpsons' Season 32 Episode 7 goes meta for second week in a row as Bart Simpson voices a girl
'The Simpsons' is always just a little bit meta, but for two episodes in a row now, they've poked fun at their own voice actors. This week's meta voice actor reference comes courtesy of Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright), who lucks his way into a well paying voice acting gig, only to discover that the badass male character he thought he was playing turns out, in fact, to be a girl - a wink to the fact that Bart himself is voiced by someone of the opposite gender.
Last week, in an episode making fun of true crime podcasts, Lisa Simpson's voice actor Yeardley Smith, who is also a true-crime podcast host in her own right, made a cameo as herself, brushing off a joke that her voice sounded familiar, for some reason. This week, it's Nancy who gets made fun of, as she voices a boy character who is upset that he's voicing a female character. Of course, Nancy has always been amused by the fact that she's most famous for voicing a boy, even titling her memoir 'My Life as a 10 Year Old Boy.'
The fans were quick to notice the joke, as well. "#TheSimpsons really throwing jabs at themselves tonight. Bart plays “a girl” in a TV movie. Even better is that Nancy Cartwright plays “a boy” in an animated TV show," writes a fan, who later also makes a note of Bart Simpson deriding the idea of an Annie Award. "Don't tell me I'm nominated for an Annie Award. Those things are worthless. #TheSimpsons (They haven't won one in forever)" they write, quoting the line. "Bart plays a girl, full meta, two weeks in a row," writes a fan. "Bart is played by a member of the distaff, FYI," quipped another.
#TheSimpsons really throwing jabs at themselves tonight. Bart plays “a girl” in a TV movie. Even better is that Nancy Cartwright plays “a boy” in an animated TV show 😏🤨🤪
— Michael O'Donnell (@Michaeloptv) November 23, 2020
Don't tell me I'm nominated for an Annie Award. Those things are worthless. #TheSimpsons
— Dr. Johnny Bananas - Elect (@Galileo908) November 23, 2020
(They haven't won one in forever)
Bart plays a girl, full meta, two weeks in a row #TheSimpsons
— Shaun Speers (@shaunspeers2604) November 23, 2020
Bart is played by a member of the distaff, FYI. #TheSimpsons
— Roy Phillips (@MadbanditRoy) November 23, 2020
It all turns out fine in the end, of course. After Lisa tells Bart she's proud of him for breaking gender stereotypes, the next episode of the show also makes an important plot twist, as the Princess Bart voices uses a unicorn to savagely murder everyone around her. Bart finally sleeps happily, knowing he's voiced a character who is that badass.
"Who knew a princess would be BADASS?" wrote a fan, sharing a screengrab of the bloody moment. Bart would be proud.
Who knew a princess would be BADASS?
— ANIMANIACS SPOILERS — #BLM #ACAB ✊🏿 (@cnc__3) November 23, 2020
#TheSimpsons pic.twitter.com/iCVu4x74Dj
The next episode of 'The Simpsons' airs on November 29, on FOX.