Smithers is getting flewed out this winter! Mr. Burns' longtime assistant, Waylon Smithers, Jr., will finally find love in season 33 of the hit Fox series.
The episode titled "Portrait of a Lackey on Fire" airs Sunday (Nov. 21) and is slated to show Waylon and new fashion mogul boyfriend explore the rollercoaster of gay romance.
Back in 2016 The Simpsons made headlines when Waylon came out as gay to Mr. Burns in the show's 27th season. Now fans get to see his romance story centered in the series and witness what that looks like for the ultra-reserved character.
The episode was written by Simpsons longtime writer Rob LaZebnik, who wrote Smithers' coming out episode, and his son, writer and comedian, Johnny LaZebnik.
Johnny told The New York Post "So often, gay romances are a subplot or alluded to or shown in some kind of montage or as a punchline. And what I think I was really excited about, with this episode, we get to see the beginning, middle and who knows how it ends of a gay relationship".
Iconic actor Victor Garber will voice Waylon's new love interest in the forthcoming episode. Garber, who is openly gay, told the Post "it's crucially important that these stories are acknowledged... I haven't played a lot of gay characters, but every time I do it brings back certain feelings I had as a young actor where I couldn't be gay".
The Simpsons is one of the latest series to prioritize gay representation on-screen and in a major way. The episode will also feature Emmy Award winning actress Christine Baranski and Project Runway winner and fashion designer Christian Siriano.