Harry Shearer On Almost Leaving The Simpsons: 'It Wasn't A Stunt'

The Simpsons Profile

Fans of long-running iconic animated show The Simpsons went on an emotional roller coaster in recent months when cast member Harry Shearer announced in May that he would be leaving the show after 26 years, only to go back on the decision in July.  

The 71-year-old actor who voices a plethora of the show's characters such as Mr Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner and Waylon Smithers to name a few, revealed that while the ongoing saga was due to contract negotiations, it was by no means a joke or prank. 

"All I can say is, it wasn't a stunt," Shearer said in an interview with The Guardian.

Shearer and attorneys of the beloved US comedy negotiated for days and even made the ordeal public by tweeting back and forth to each other — an agreement was eventually made after two months. 

"There were real issues that had to be resolved and they were," he said. 

While the negotiated deal reportedly sees Shearer bank $300,000 an episode, Shearer said the conflict in the negotiations was about his desire to pursue other projects outside of The Simpsons, rather than about the money. 

"The real danger to me in working in this business is if you become tired of or contemptuous of the audience, it shows," Shearer explained. 

"If you give the audience a bunch of different things, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the reasons [they remember you]."

Either way, Shearer is locked in to star in the show's 27^th and 28^th seasons, including an option for the FOX network to extend a further two seasons, which means The Simpsons fans are all thinking the same thing — 'Excellent'.

Which means we can expect more awesome memories like the below: