‘The Simpsons’ Called Jimmy Carter ‘History’s Greatest Monster,’ But Didn’t Know He Was Watching

The Simpsons hasn’t always had the coziest relationship with U.S. presidents. George H.W. Bush famously slammed the show during a speech (prompting Homer and Bart to retaliate), and one would imagine that Richard Nixon likely wasn’t thrilled at being depicted as one of Satan’s go-to soulless minions, along with John Wilkes Booth, Blackbeard the Pirate and the starting lineup of the 1976 Philadelphia Flyers.

But former President Jimmy Carter, who just passed away at the age of 100, actually gave the show a chance after it had been recommended by a family member. It didn’t, however, exactly win him over.

Following the news of Carter’s death, Simpsons writer Mike Reiss recently posted on social media, recalling that Carter’s grandson once told him that they had “urged” President Carter to check out the animated series for its “smart political satire.” Unfortunately, the first episode that Carter watched, coincidentally, happened to be Season Four’s “Marge in Chains,” in which the former commander-in-chief is referred to as “history’s greatest monster” by a random Springfieldian.

For context, in the episode, the Springfield Park Commission wants to erect a statue of Abraham Lincoln, but because Marge is in prison for accidentally shoplifting a bottle of Colonel Kwik-E-Mart’s Kentucky Bourbon, she isn’t able to contribute to the town’s bake sale. So the funds come up short, forcing the town to go with a budget Carter monument instead, complete with a plaque referencing his so-called “malaise” speech.

The “history’s greatest monster” line, right as the statue is unveiled, was obviously meant to be completely absurd (as is the suggestion that a political figure as broadly inoffensive as Carter would spark a violent riot). 

In retrospect, the implication that Carter was the cheapest possible presidential statue available is far more demeaning. And the ending of the episode — in which the town of Springfield ultimately decides to just turn the Carter statue into a Marge Simpson statue, which then gets turned into a tetherball pole — is also somewhat insulting. 

Reiss previously documented his experience meeting Carter’s grandson in the book Springfield Confidential, claiming that, as a result of this incident, “Jimmy Carter will never do our show.” Still, representations of Carter appeared on The Simpsons multiple times over the years, none of which were especially flattering. For instance, there was the time that he got a hammer up his nostrils during a Three Stooges-esque routine with George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton:

He also, briefly, attempted to challenge Homer to a duel:

And showed off his “comedy breakdancing” skills in Season 11’s “Behind the Laughter”:

Who knows, if not for “Marge in Chains,” perhaps the show could have convinced the real Carter to guest star and record the line, “Got a brother named Billy, and my teeth look silly.”