Theory about the Simpsons’ identity goes viral with 5M views: “not wrong”

A comedian has reignited a discussion about The Simpsons’ race in a viral clip from her podcast, where they discuss whether the famous yellow‑skinned animated family is actually Black.

Comedian Nicole Byer was discussing animated TV programs on her show Why Won’t You Date Me?, with co-hosts Yvie Oddly and Ryan Mitchell when the conversation turned to the famous franchise.

Byer said she has only seen one episode of the cartoon, and Oddly revealed they had never seen it, to the shock of fellow host Mitchell. The trio then discussed the central question—are the Simpsons Black? The clip from the show garnered over 5 million views on Instagram.

“Marge has a texture,” said Oddly. “Yes. And she wears a bonnet,” added Byer.

“Someone in the comments said she is Créole,” said Oddly.

Mitchell then revealed that her maiden name is Bouvier. According to official Simpsons character information, Marge’s full name is Marjorie “Marge” Bouvier Simpson (née Bouvier).

Fans have linked this name to Creole roots—since Bouvier is historically of French origin.

The Simpsons television series was created by Matt Groening and first aired in 1989. It has produced more than 800 episodes over more than 30 seasons, making it the longest‑running prime‑time sitcom in history. The cartoon family members—Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie—are among the most recognizable characters in popular culture.

The three podcasters laughed as Oddly mispronounced Bart’s name as “Bert.”

“They are Black because even Bart […] he got a hi‑top fade,” Oddly added.

“And Bart stayed in trouble,” added Byer. “I feel like, in school, the Black kids are policed a little bit harder,” she continued.

However, Mitchell then suggested a flaw in the theory—there are other characters on the show with different skin tones to represent different races, which would complicate any literal reading of the Simpsons’ race.

But Byer added that, in a lot of cartoon shows, characters have bizarre skin colors, not resonating with real pigmentation.

Byer then opened up about her dating life; when she put on a bonnet, she asked her date if he had ever seen one before.

“He was like, ‘I’ve dated Black women.’ Also Marge wears a bonnet. And I was like, ‘Oh schooling you on bonnet culture is crazy. And then also being like the Simpsons have a bonnet. You’re missing on Black culture. Marge is Black. I’m so happy we have settled it here,” Byer concluded.

Newsweek reached out to a press contact for The Simpsons via email and Nicole Byer via Instagram for comment outside of their usual working hours.

This theory is not new; it first gained traction on social media three years ago. An account called cocoabutterofficial shared her take in 2023.

“Mostly everybody in this family is black. Please, you gonna tell me this is not an Afro? Marge and Homer are an interracial couple, which is why her and her kids hair grows upward, while Homer, he don’t really have no hair. But y’all know what I mean,” the poster said, garnering almost 800,000 likes.

Her wider argument included several other points fans have used to fuel the theory: she claimed Marge’s sisters are “2 cigarette smoking black aunties” and emphasized their Afros and attitude toward Homer. The poster drew parallels to other animated characters she felt were written with traits some viewers associate with Black women, and referenced music, cultural cues, and stylistic interpretations of character design as unofficial evidence.

On Byer’s Instagram reel the conversation exploded with reactions from viewers: “High achieving Black girls, Lisa,” said Torrian Timms.

“Lisa loves Jazz and plays the sax,” posted Stacey Yvonne.

“Homer is a fully white American man. He fails up too often not to be. Marge and the Bouviers are Creole and the kids are mixed. Lisa got those saxophone skills from her bloodline” shared Hattie.

“They’re yellow,” one user put it bluntly.

Delving deeper into the cartoon family’s heritage, one commenter referenced the episode The Color Yellow (season 21, episode 13). In the 2010 episode, Lisa’s family history school project takes her back to Civil War‑era Florida, where she learns that her ancestor Mabel helps a runaway slave named Virgil reach Canada. Grandpa Simpson later reveals this makes the Simpson family 1/64th Black.