Breaking the fourth wall

This is a list of when the fourth wall is broken in the show. Breaking the fourth wall in The Simpsons occurs when the characters acknowledge that they are fictional or acknowledge the audience or sometimes the cast and crew. It can also occur when the cast and crew acknowledge the media and try to affect it.

Breaking the Fourth Wall

Season 1

Image Episode Description Ep # "Bart the General" Bart sits on a table in a library and talks directly to the camera about the seriousness of war. 5

Season 2

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror" At the beginning of the episode Marge appears warning the audience that the episode may scare them. 16

Season 3

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror II" Marge appears warning the audience that the episode may scare them, and remembering that if they didn't pay attention to her last time, this time they probably wouldn't either. 42

Season 4

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror III" Homer appears at the beginning of the episode warning the audience about the episode, and daring them not to watch it, calling them cowards. 64

Season 5

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror IV" During the episode Bart appears speaking to the audience presenting the stories. 86 "Lady Bouvier's Lover" The Simpsons are singing the "Armour Hot Dogs" theme song and Homer shows a sign to the camera which reads "PLEASE BUY ARMOUR BRAND HOT DOGS". 102

Season 6

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror V" Marge appears warning the audience about the episode's content at the beginning of the episode.. 109 Following Marge's presentation, Bart addresses the audience via audio introducing the episode. "A Star Is Burns" Jay Sherman invites the Simpson family to visit his show, referring to The Critic. However, Bart shoots the idea down. 121

Season 7

Image Episode Description Ep # "The Day the Violence Died" Roger Meyers Jr. says Chief Wiggum is a rip-off of Edward G. Robinson. 146

Season 8

Image Episode Description Ep # "The Springfield Files" Leonard Nimoy appears telling the story of the episode to the audience, being replaced by the Squeaky-voiced teen at the end of the episode. 163

Season 9

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror VIII" The Fox censor presents the episode to the audience, commenting that it will be suitable for everyone. 182 "Bart Star" Joe Namath talks to the viewers about vaporlock. 184 Homer speaks during the end credits, cutting off the people in them as he does as a coach.

Season 10

Image Episode Description Ep # "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" John Madden and Pat Summerall have a "post-episode analysis", where they come to a conclusion that the episode cheated "the loyal fans who put up with so much nonsense from this franchise". 215 "Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers"" In the end credits, Homer speaks directly to the audience about the channels they should watch. 218

Season 11

Image Episode Description Ep # "Brother's Little Helper" The episode ends with Bart singing while he looks at the audience. 228 "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?" Homer informs the viewers that the show will be back after the commercial break. 229 "The Mansion Family" Homer cries during the end credits, talking about the people in them being richer than him. 238 "Saddlesore Galactica" Comic Book Guy wears a shirt that proclaims the ongoing episode to be the "worst ever". 239 "Missionary: Impossible" A Fox pledge-a-thon presented by Betty White interrupts the ending of the episode. After Rupert Murdoch receives a phone call of Bart who pledges the needed money, and Murdoch tells him that he's saved the network, Bart comments that it "wouldn't be the first time", while looking at the camera. 241 "Pygmoelian" Carl tells the viewers "You see, that's why I don't talk much", after starting a dialogue which ends in tears. 242

Season 12

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror XI" At the end of the episode, Kang and Kodos appear in their spaceship complaining that they have been left out of the Simpsons Halloween special. 249 "Skinner's Sense of Snow" At the end of the episode, Lisa with a camel's head speaks to the audience saying "Merry Christmas from the Simpsons!". 256 "New Kids on the Blecch" 'N Sync talks to the camera about the navy. 262 "Trilogy of Error" Mr. Teeny murmurs in monkey language "this plot made no sense" to the camera. 266

Season 13

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror XII" At the end of "Wiz Kids", the leprecahun looks at the camera laughing evilly. 270 "Brawl in the Family" Marge tells Gabriel "At 18:00, we go live!", in reference to the time at which the episodes premiered during that part of the Season. 276

Season 14

Image Episode Description Ep # "Mr. Spritz Goes to Washington" A promo for Joe Millionaire appears on the screen, which Homer picks up and eats, then spits it out. 305 "Old Yeller-Belly" Homer remarks to the camera about how the plan to get Santa's Little Helper back is working. 310

Season 17

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror XVI" The episode ends with Moe saying goodbye to the audience, being accompanied by Lenny and Dennis Rodman, while the rest of the characters also look at the camera. 270

Season 18

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror XVII" Mr. Burns is responsible for introducing the episode to the audience. 382 "You Kent Always Say What You Want" Homer tries to tell Lisa something that Kent Brockman told him about the Fox Network, but while doing so, a voiceover interrupts him, causing him to try to say it directly to the audience, but is interrupted by the 20th Century Fox Television logo. Immediately, he appears again on a white background trying again to speak to the audience, this time being interrupted by the Gracie Films logo. 400

The Simpsons Movie

Image Description While the characters are in the cinema at the beginning of the movie, Homer says "If you ask me, everybody in this theater is a giant sucker. Specially you.", pointing to the audience behind the screen while he finishes his comment. In the chalkboard gag of the opening sequence, Bart writes "I will not illegally download this movie".

Season 19

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" Ned Flanders says goodbye to the audience at the end of the episode. 405

Season 20

Image Episode Description Ep # "Lost Verizon" When Bart first takes hold of Denis Leary's phone after he throws it away, he explaims that you can watch commercials on it. He then holds the phone up to the camera as it cuts to commercial. 422 "Treehouse of Horror XIX" Marge ends the episode by addressing the audience. 424 "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words" While solving crossword puzzles, Lisa thinks of B.A.R.T. and describes it as a San Francesco people mover, Bart then looks at the camera and says "Speaking of San Francesco people movers", the scene then cuts to Homer in a gay bar with Julio. 426 "Father Knows Worst" Homer tells the viewers he's a "great dad to both his kids". 438

Season 22

Image Episode Description Ep # "Treehouse of Horror XXI" Professor Frink introduces the episode to the audience. 468 At the end of "Master and Cadaver" Maggie looks at the audience in the style of Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange. "The Ned-liest Catch" In the cliffhanger ending, Homer and Marge remind the viewer to join TheSimpsons.com and vote on whether Ned and Edna Krabappel should stay together. Note:This scene was extended into the credits in later airings. 486

Season 23

Image Episode Description Ep # "The Falcon and the D'ohman" Comic Book Guy tells the viewers that the result of Nedna will be revealed in the episode. 487 When Ned and Edna are in bed together, Edna winks at the camera. "Treehouse of Horror XXII" The characters who have participated in the episode meet to say goodbye to the audience. 489 "Moe Goes from Rags to Riches" Moe's bar rag tells the viewers his life story throughout the whole episode 498

Season 24

Image Episode Description Ep # "A Test Before Trying" After making wishes at the well, Marge says she hopes Bart to pass his exam, what makes Homer mention the way to get them back on topic, referring to back to the main plot of the episode. 518 "Hardly Kirk-ing" Homer says that Bart's comment about not wanting to look like his dad is "not a heartwarming thing to end [the episode] on". 521

Season 25

Image Episode Description Ep # "Four Regrettings and a Funeral" The church marquee refers to Chip Davis as "Springfield's most beloved character that you never saw". 533

Season 26

Image Episode Description Ep # "The Man Who Came to Be Dinner" Kodos turns to the camera and says "As if this never happened", referring to the episode being non-canon. 562

Season 27

Image Episode Description Ep # "The Marge-ian Chronicles" After giving Marge the reason to open a G-rated comedy club, with the goal that she abandon the idea, Homer raises his thumb while looking at the camera. 590

Season 28

Image Episode Description Ep # "The Caper Chase" Robert McKee breaks the fourth wall by talking about the time cut that happened after the introduction to the clones. 615 "Moho House" A hand drawn Gracie Films gag is seen in Homer's flip-book. 617 In "Stogie's Song", Stogie sang the line "that's the ending of the show, except for the tag."

Season 29

Image Episode Description Ep # "Singin' in the Lane" Lenny says "This episode has a lot of music." 625 "No Good Read Goes Unpunished" After Marge changes the offensive content of the book "The Princess in the Garden", Lisa comments: "It's hard to say. Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?". While looking at the camera, at the same time that screen pans to a framed picture of Apu, with the caption "Don't Have a Cow, Man.". After that, Marge comments: "Some things will be dealt with at a later date.", also looking at the camera. Being the scene an ansewer of the show to Apu's racial stereotyping criticism. 633

Season 31

Image Episode Description Ep # "Warrin' Priests: Part One" When Lisa and Bode are meditating, a notice saying "Animation Budget Exceeded" appears. 681 Milhouse says that he hopes Part Two is about his rescue. A "Next Week" segment appears at the end of the episode. "Warrin' Priests: Part Two" Kent Brockman talks directly to the viewers in a recap of part one. 682 Bode Wright prays with the Simpsons and asks God to please not let The Simpsons ever end.

Season 32

Image Episode Description Ep # "Now Museum, Now You Don't" After telling his story, Moe asks to end the credits. 687

Music videos

Image Episode Description Ep # "Do the Bartman" Bart tells the viewers about his story of how he invented the Bartman dance moves. SPECIAL "Deep, Deep Trouble" Bart talks to viewers the whole short on how he got in prison. SPECIAL

The Simpsons: Tapped Out

The Simpsons: Tapped Out frequently breaks the fourth wall, with the characters referring to being in a game.

Leaning on the Fourth Wall

Leaning on the fourth wall is where something almost breaks the fourth wall, only for it to be an in-media effect, such as the camera panning to reveal that the character was talking to another character rather than the audience.

Season 4

Image Episode Description Ep# "Duffless" When Homer turns down a glass of beer and runs off, Moe says that he will be back and so will several other barflies which whom he points to and he seems to point to the viewer, who is actually Barney. 75

Season 6

Image Episode Description Ep # "Bart of Darkness" Richard briefly appears to be throwing a beach ball at the camera, only for it to then show someone else catching it. 104 "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part One)" Dr. Hibbert, with his trademark chuckle says "Well I couldn't possibly solve this mystery. Can YOU?" pointing at the screen, at what is thought to be the viewer. The camera zooms out to show that he is pointing to Chief Wiggum, who says he will give it a shot, since it is his job. 128

Season 10

Image Episode Description Ep # "Mom and Pop Art" After insulting Matt Groening by saying "What's he doing in a museum? He can barely draw!", Homer is attacked by the eraser of a giant pencil, as if Matt Groening is trying to erase Homer. It is then revealed that two museum employees are carrying the giant pencil, which is actually a work of art by Claes Oldenburg, and trying to put it on its display stand. 222

Season 13

Image Episode Description Ep # "Brawl in the Family" While the Simpsons happily return home, Lisa comments "Could this be the end of our series...". After the others look at her, she ends the sentence saying "...of events?". 276

Season 20

Image Episode Description Ep # "Gone Maggie Gone" After a return to commercial when Lisa is trying to figure out Springfield's biggest ring, she looks at the camera asking "Well? Did you get it?" The scene then changes to show that she was asking Milhouse, who says that he doesn't know. 433

Season 27

Image Episode Description Ep # "Halloween of Horror" During the "Grown-Up Halloween" musical number, several characters look like their singing to the audience when they're really addressing Marge and Bart. 578

Season 28

Image Episode Description Ep # "Moho House" Moe said "Me thinks I see my opportunity" to the camera, only to reveal he was talking to Sideshow Mel, who he said he considered his friend. 617

The Simpsons
Production • History
20th Television • FOX • Cast and Crew • Guest stars • Writers • Showrunners • Klasky Csupo • Film Roman • Gracie Films
Characters
Homer Simpson • Bart Simpson • Lisa Simpson • Marge Simpson • Maggie Simpson
Media
Episodes (Production order • Episodes with unresolved endings) • The Simpsons shorts • The Simpsons Movie • Comics • Video games
Themes
Law
Others
Aging • Songs • Title cards • Complaints to FCC • Foreign broadcasters