Luann Van Houten
Luann Van Houten
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Character Information
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Luann Van Houten is voiced by Maggie Roswell. When Roswell left the show, she became a primarily nonspeaking character. However, Roswell has since returned. She first appeared in Homer Defined.
Past
Luann Van Houten originated from Tuscany, Italy, showing she is an Italian American, as her mother is Italian. She was born in Shelbyville, however moved to Springfield in an early life. Her character lacks the stereotypically exaggerated mannerisms associated with most other Italian Americans on The Simpsons, such as the mobster Fat Tony, or the chef Luigi. When younger, she had went to "Camp Land-a-Man", a camp to utilize girls into women with Marge, Patty and Selma, Helen Lovejoy, and Cookie Kwan ("The Way We Weren't").
Divorce
Luann was married to Kirk for several years and bore a son and remained in an unhappy marriage. After an argument over a game of Pictionary, she leaves Kirk after he remarks he can't draw "dignity", since he gave it up when he married her. Although Kirk found the new liberty of a single life tough, Luann uses her newfound freedom to live life on the fast lane. Luann began dating American Gladiator Pyro shortly after her divorce with Kirk (Pyro being a reference to real-life Gladiator Nitro) for several seasons, but was caught cheating on him with his best friend, Gyro.
Other Romances
In Apu Nahasapeemapetilon's bachelor years, she had been one of his bachelorettes. In "Milhouse of Sand and Fog", its revealed Luann had also gone out with Disco Stu, disco dancing. As well, within the same episode, she also admits she had begun a relationship with Sea Captain. Quite recently she often splits Kirk.
Reuniting with Kirk
In "Milhouse of Sand and Fog", when the Van Houtens are on the verge of reuniting, Bart and Milhouse hatch a scheme (in a parody of an episode of The O.C.) to get them to separate again (because Milhouse enjoyed both of them fighting over him). The scheme backfires, and nearly results in the separation of Homer and Marge Simpson. Bart and Milhouse try another hapless scheme by attempting to push a mannequinned version of Bart over a waterfall. Since then, they are often seen together (although in a later episode, Kirk was seen with Milhouse at a single father's outing, showing he and Luann were still not married, and were therefore technically boyfriend and girlfriend). As of Little Orphan Millie, they are remarried.
