This "Simpsons" Writer Dedicated Smithers' Coming-Out Episode To His Son

And now I'm sobbing.

If you're a fan of The Simpsons, you know that it's no secret that Smithers is gay and in love with Mr. Burns.

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His unrequited love and closeted sexuality has been a running gag for more than two decades.

However, this week's episode finally had Waylon Smithers come out publicly for the first time.

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Until now, Smithers hadn't even been considered a gay character by the show's producers. In the DVD commentary for Season 2, Al Jean said he considered Smithers to be "Burns-sexual," in that he's really only attracted to Mr. Burns.

But there's an incredibly touching reason why: Rob LaZebnik, the episode's writer, devoted the episode to his son, who is gay.

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"I am a Midwestern guy, so I don’t tend to wear my emotions on my sleeve," LaZebnik told the New York Post, "but I thought: 'What better way to tell my son I love him than to write a cartoon about it?'"

The episode is also being praised for the subtle way it handled Smithers' coming out.

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"We didn’t really want to have that big moment of 'I’m out,' you know?" LaZebnik said. "Instead, just have it be a big embrace — like everyone knows it."

Basically, 💕 💕 💕 all around.

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