Top 20 Worst Things Homer Simpson Ever Did
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Worst Things Homer Simpson Ever Did. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most appalling acts committed by one of our favorite cartoon fathers. We’ll be excluding the stuff he did by accident - like getting Maude Flanders killed - since those were unintentional. If you’ve never seen these moments in action, expect spoilers ahead. Where do YOU think Homer crossed the line? Let us know in the comments.
#20: “Why You Little!!”
Top 10 Worst Things Homer Simpson Ever Did
Various
One of “The Simpsons’” most iconic running gags occurs every time Bart gets on Homer’s bad side. Homer angrily shouts “Why you little,” and proceeds to strangle his mischievous son. Admittedly, we all laughed at this gag for a while; but looking back, it’s a lot more disturbing to watch. Even if Bart is a little devil, this is straight-up traumatic and is bound to leave lasting damage. You know you’ve messed up when Peter Griffin - objectively an even WORSE dad - calls you out for it… just think about that for a minute.
#19: Betting Against Lisa
“Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words”
Lisa has become obsessed with crossword puzzles and even enters a tournament. Homer has been betting on Lisa’s wins, but in the final match… he bets against his own daughter. He knows that Lisa’s luck will run out and plays it to his advantage; it’s even more unfair considering that the only reason she loses is that the other contestant cheats. When Lisa finds out her own father didn’t believe in her, she rightfully disowns him, which is still less than he deserves. To be fair, he comes up with a clever way to apologize, but that hardly makes up for not being in his own child’s corner.
#18: His Deal With Fat Tony
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“The Bonfire of the Manatees”
It’s staggering how Homer gets into these screwy scenarios. In this misadventure, he falls for a gambling scam and ends up in debt with Fat Tony. Fortunately, the mob boss is willing to negotiate… UNFORTUNATELY, it involves using Homer’s house to shoot an adult film. If that isn’t scummy enough, Homer lies to Marge and tricks her and the kids into getting out of the house while the movie’s in production. Naturally, he gets found out and Marge is furious; he keeps telling himself that it’s a normal routine… but nothing about this is normal. Homer should be grateful that Marge is so forgiving, as you can only push your luck for so long.
#17: “Pray for Mojo”
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“Girly Edition”
Homer learns about helper monkeys and naturally wants one for himself. So, what does he do? He uses his father - someone who NEEDS assistance - to get him Mojo the Monkey. Unfortunately, to no one’s surprise, Homer is a bad influence, and spending so much time with him causes Mojo to become as lazy and overweight as he is. With his “beloved” monkey’s health deteriorating, Homer gives Mojo away… but it may already be too late for him. With how bad an influence Homer is, it’s nothing short of a miracle that his kids are still alive. Heck, given that Mojo took up HIS habits, it’s a miracle that HOMER’S still alive.
#16: The Tomacco
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“E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)”
Right off the bat, Homer’s buffoonery forces his family to skip town and live on a farm for a while; but that’s mild compared to what happens next. Trying his hand at farming, Homer decides to use plutonium to try and grow crops. It works, but he ends up growing the tomacco - a mutant tomato/tobacco hybrid. The abominable fruit is incredibly addictive, so Homer - of course - starts selling it. Unfortunately for Homer, his newest scam backfires in a major way when the local animals get a taste of the tomacco, forcing Homer to shut down his operation. Serves him right for tampering with nature and trying to profit.
#15: Pitting Bart & Lisa Against Each Other
“Lisa on Ice”
It sure can be hard to love your kids equally! What’s a father to do when put in this situation other than have his offspring compete against each other and love the winner best? After all, if your kid really wanted your love, they wouldn’t lose, right? In case you couldn’t tell… everything up to now has been sarcastic - though Homer likely would’ve agreed with it all. To avoid failing gym class, Lisa joins the hockey team, which sparks an intense rivalry with Bart. Instead of assuring them that he loves them both, as a normal father would do, Homer eggs them on into a competitive fury.
#14: Exploiting Bart Getting Hit by a Car
“Bart Gets Hit by a Car”
There are certain opportunities that only come up once in a lifetime; these are the sort of moments that you must recognize and make the most of. One such moment for Homer Simpson was when Bart got hit by Mr. Burn’s car. In Homer’s defense, he doesn’t immediately jump to legal, but only does so after his boss offers him a pitiful $100 as compensation. Homer’s wounded pride prompts him to ride Bart’s injury as far as it will take him, with little regard for the wellbeing or wishes of his family.
#13: His Las Vegas Marriage
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“Viva Ned Flanders”
One of the FEW TIMES Homer does something nice for Ned Flanders, it completely backfires. For context, Ned joins Homer on a getaway in Las Vegas, and the two get stupid drunk… and end up marrying two floozies. You could blame Homer’s actions on the alcohol, but did he have to drag his neighbor into this? They ditch the two ladies, but this blunder comes back to haunt Homer in a future episode when their Vegas wives track them down. And how does Homer fix everything? By tricking his Vegas wife into marrying his father. The moral of this story - never let Homer go to Vegas ever again, especially when drunk.
#12: Intolerant to New Neighbors
“Mypods and Boomsticks”
Bart’s made friends with a Muslim boy named Bashir. At first, Homer welcomes Bashir with open arms, but his friends convince him that Bashir and his family might be terrorists. Naturally, Homer’s paranoia gets the better of him, and he treats them terribly – he insults them, he sneaks into their personal lives and ends up blowing up a bridge causing a truck driver to drown. You could argue that his friends are to blame for THEIR intolerance and for giving him the idea in the first place, but Homer is the one who takes it too far. But, of course, they just laugh it off in the end and everyone forgives him for his hurtful stereotyping.
#11: Poor Barney
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“Mr. Plow”
Honestly, watching Barney Gumble struggle with his alcohol use disorder is pretty tragic… but would you believe he wasn’t always like this? As a teenager, Barney was a clean, intelligent man who was well on his way to Harvard. However, on the night before the SATs, Homer offered Barney a beer… and that one ill-fated drink was all it took to change him for the worse. While Homer wasn’t trying to ruin Barney’s life, he still pressured him to drink the beer, and since that day, Barney’s been on a downhill spiral. He can try to go clean, but he’ll just relapse in no time all thanks to his so-called “best friend.”
#10: Nearly Causing a Nuclear Meltdown
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“King-Size Homer”
It’s no secret that Homer hates his job at the Nuclear Power Plant; but just how far is he willing to go to get out of it? Apparently enough to jeopardize his own health. Homer learns that people who weigh over 300 pounds can work from home, so he gets his weight up into the appropriate range. Unfortunately, Homer deals with some stigma when it comes to his weight gain. Not only that, he also becomes so bored with his job he nearly causes a nuclear meltdown. To his credit, he does take responsibility in the end and puts everything right; too bad it takes nearly destroying his workplace for him to get his act together. He’s lazy enough at his job, why go the extra destructive mile?
#9: Being Reckless with Firearms
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“The Cartridge Family”
We can’t really fault Homer for this one. It’s just a fact of life that TV remotes often get lost. And it’s another fact of life that sometimes you want to change the channel. When these two eventualities collide, what’s a body to do other than reach for a firearm and proceed to shoot at the dial until you find the channel you’re looking for? The mere fact that a person as irresponsible as Homer Simpson could get a firearm is horrifying to consider, but the ways in which he wields his gun are downright dumbfounding. Say what you will about the NRA, but at least their fictional onscreen counterparts kicked out this gun nut.
#8: Forcing Flanders to Leave His Own Bomb Shelter
“Bart’s Comet”
When a comet is discovered heading straight for Springfield, the town naturally panics. As it turns out, Flanders owns the only bomb shelter in town, and so when doomsday draws near, the entire town goes to old Nederino for help. Being the stand-up guy he is, he lets them all in, only to find that the door won’t close. Realizing that there’s one person too many, Homer being the jerk he is, convinces the town to kick Ned out of his own shelter. Sure, he feels guilty later and goes out to join Flanders, but he wouldn’t have had cause for remorse had he not behaved like a monster in the first place.
#7: Captain Tenille
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“Simpson Tide”
After losing his job… again, Homer ends up joining the Navy. The submarine’s captain takes a liking to Homer and even wants to promote him - boy, will he learn to regret it. Later, Homer is put in charge when the captain gets stuck in a torpedo tube, and one of the first things he does is fire the torpedoes, launching his commanding officer at the enemy ship. Even if Homer doesn’t know what he’s doing - which is usually the case - this captain is probably the nicest boss he’ll ever have. He respects Homer and says he’s like a son to him, but Homer pays him no mind and ends up getting him killed… talk about gratitude.
#6: Signing the Family Up for Shock Therapy
“There’s No Disgrace Like Home”
Impressing the boss is important, especially when that boss is the richest man in Springfield. At a company picnic, the Simpsons fail to live up to Homer’s hopes, leaving him feeling embarrassed. Noticing how much Mr. Burns likes the more “normal” families, he decides to “fix” his family. In his infinite wisdom, he takes them to a therapist who’s been advertising on TV with the sales pitch “family bliss or double your money back.” Of course, none of it works and they end up resorting to shock therapy, which they all happily inflict on each other until the town’s power nearly goes out.
#5: Urging Bart to Kill a Reindeer
“Homer’s Phobia”
Lots of things can be cured by shooting a reindeer in the face; queerness isn’t one of them. Homer got along great with his new friend John until he found out he was gay, and then became paranoid that Bart had been turned gay - never mind the fact that that’s NOT how it works. So… Homer, being Homer, tries to “cure” Bart of his supposed budding queerness. First, he takes him to a steel mill, only to discover that all the employees there are gay too. Logically, he then takes him on the second-most stereotypical straight pastime he can imagine - hunting. This is Homer at his most offensive, ignorant and disappointing.
#4: Sabotaging Flanders’s Business
“When Flanders Failed”
Some people work hard at life, go to church, raise a great family, and treat their wife well. And apparently, by Homer’s estimation, those people don’t deserve nice things. Homer hates the insufferable but well-intentioned Ned Flanders, so when Ned opens a new business for left-handed people, Homer makes it his personal mission to sabotage it. To achieve this, he wishes on a wishbone, and sure enough the business begins to fail, with Homer relishing every moment of it until things finally take too dark a turn even for him. In this particular example of bad behavior, Homer’s ill-placed malice nearly cost Flanders his home.
#3: Ruining His Father’s Kidney
“Homer Simpson in: ‘Kidney Trouble’”
Take a lesson from Homer: old people are an inconvenience. Who cares that your dad raised you, stopping the car to let him use the bathroom is poor time management, right... In this episode, Abe’s kidney explodes because Homer refuses to pull over. That’s… pretty messed up. Luckily, Homer agrees to help his dad out and donate his own organ. In true Homer fashion however, he gets cold feet and tries to get out of the surgery. Abe survives, but not because Homer does the honorable thing. In his cowardice, he gets into an accident, and they simply take the kidney while he’s on the operating table. Oh well, one bad turn deserves another!
#2: Framed Marge for DUI
“Co-Dependents’ Day”
From the very first season, it was clear that Homer Simpson had a drinking problem. For Homer, alcohol has seemingly always been the cause of and solution to ALL of life’s problems. Heck, he even created his own drink, the Flaming Homer. In this episode, however, things go too far. Everything initially seems great as he and Marge bond over drinks at a wine tasting , but things soon go downhill quickly when they continue to drink for several days and he ultimately crashes the car. Being the great guy that he is, he frames Marge, because it would have been his last strike. Really? This is a truly despicable move that really makes you question why Marge has stuck with him for so long.
#1: Getting Springfield Trapped in a Dome
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“The Simpsons Movie” (2007)
In the family’s first theatrical film, Homer carelessly dumps a silo of pig feces into the lake, causing an environmental disaster… for free donuts. The government uses this as an excuse to trap Springfield under a dome that they later plan to destroy. And Homer’s only concern is running away from his problems. This is arguably the most reckless thing he’s ever done – he puts his town in mortal danger and paints a huge target on his family’s back. Even Marge, the only person in the world who can overlook Homer’s flaws, can’t forgive this one. To his credit, he makes amends in the end, but it could’ve been avoided if Homer took responsibility even once.
