'The Simpsons' Drop One Of Its Most Famous Jokes As "Times Have Changed"

Much-loved cartoon, 'The Simpsons' has seemingly confirmed that they have retired their long-running gag of Homer strangling Bart in one of the episodes. "See, Marge, strangling the boy paid off. Just kidding, I don't do that anymore. Times have changed," Homar declares that he's changed his ways in the third episode of season 35, titled "McMansion & Wife". 

The running joke involved Homar reprimanding his eldest child by squeezing his neck tightly. Over the years, the action has been often criticised for its brutality. 

Bart used to crack a wise joke or commit some kind of misdeed, Homer used to respond by shouting "Why you little!" before grabbing him by the throat. Over time, Homer used to strangle other characters in the same way. 

See the video here:

The internet has praised The Simpsons' writers. A user wrote, "Took him 36 years but he finally learned."

Another user wrote, "I knew my man Homer was gonna learn. He's a smart fella."

"To be fair this was under Disney since they wanted a family-friendly branding for the Simpsons," the third user wrote.

"I stopped strangling my son because times have changed not because I realised it was wrong all along" The Simpsons is written by AI now lmao" the fourth user wrote.

"Yeah I watch every new episode and never realized until that joke," the fifth user commented. 

The US sitcom is currently running its 35th season and has been on TV for 34 years. The makers have produced more than 750 episodes.