Duffman Has Been “Retired” From ‘The Simpsons’

by

This week’s episode of The Simpsons surprised many fans when Duffman, the iconic Duff Beer mascot, announced his character was being “retired.” While it’s unclear if this is permanent, the way the episode played out suggests we may have seen the last of Duffman after nearly 30 years on the show.

I absolutely loved the latest Simpsons episode, “Seperance!” It was a hilarious take on Severance, and it started with Barry Duffman showing up at Homer’s place. Turns out, he’s no longer the Duffman mascot – the company’s completely retired the character! He explained that all that old-style advertising – spokespeople, print ads, even TV commercials – just doesn’t work on kids anymore, and they can’t even remember the jingles. It was a really clever commentary on how advertising has changed.

The show Severance explores what happens when a company completely separates an employee’s work life from their personal life. Workers inside the Lumon Industries facility are known as “Innies,” while their outside selves are called “Outies.” In a recent episode, the character of Duffman struggled with his dual identities and ultimately seemed to abandon the company mascot persona, appearing instead as just Barry Duffman, suggesting a permanent change.

Duffman made his debut in the Season 9 episode “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson.” He showed up in the Duff Beer Partymobile to tell Barney Gumble he’d won a free mug of Duff Extra Cold, but unfortunately, Barney was the designated driver that night. After driving his friends home, Homer discovered his car was missing – it turned out Barney had driven to New York and parked it near the World Trade Center. Following the September 11th attacks, the episode was removed from television reruns for several years, but it was eventually re-aired with some changes.

The Latest ‘The Simpsons’ Roster Change


Fox

Fans have seen a couple of characters leave The Simpsons this season. While Duffman’s departure got a lot of attention, Alice Glick, the church organist, was also written off the show last November. Though she wasn’t always referred to by name, Alice was a familiar face who appeared in many episodes. According to showrunner Tim Long, who confirmed her death to Entertainment Weekly, Alice is gone permanently. He explained that while her music will live on, she is, definitively, dead.

Fans were deeply saddened by the death of Marcia Wallace in 2013, the voice of Bart Simpson’s teacher, Edna Krabappel. The show explained her character’s absence by saying she had retired.

Subscribe to our newsletter for Simpsons cast changes

Want clearer context on character retirements? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused coverage and analysis of Simpsons casting shifts, representation debates, and what these roster changes mean for TV storytelling and cultural conversations.

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s
Terms of Use
and
Privacy Policy
. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Hank Azaria was the voice of Duffman, but in 2020 he stopped voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the owner of the Kwik-E-Mart. Apu and Azaria became the center of a debate about how South Asians were portrayed on television. The character was seen as a stereotype, which was explored in the 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu by Hari Kondabolu. While Apu still appears on the show, he now only appears in the background.

Read More

2026-01-07 01:21