--- description: The voice performer is the first major cast member to leave the Fox stalwart title: Harry Shearer's Exit Proves The Simpsons May Not Be Immortal image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt29d193d22e8173ca/6987efbfe20a8747f2a895f9/harry-shearer.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Harry Shearer's Exit Proves _The Simpsons_ May Not Be Immortal  by [Daniel D'Addario](/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 14, 2015 4:12 PM CUT  Actor Harry Shearer attends American Cinematheque Hosts the Genius of Stan Freberg: 70 Years of Creative Entertainment at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Nov. 2, 2014 Actor Harry Shearer attends American Cinematheque Hosts the Genius of Stan Freberg: 70 Years of Creative Entertainment at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Nov. 2, 2014Michael Kovac—WireImage/Getty Images  by [Daniel D'Addario](/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 14, 2015 4:12 PM CUT In [announcing his departure](http://www.ew.com/article/2015/05/08/harry-shearer-exiting-simpsons?hootPostID=f6034cd857519af5bc15611610282635 "undefined") from the show after the upcoming 26th season finale, Harry Shearer becomes the first member of _The Simpsons_‘ core cast to leave the show. There’s no blueprint for this sort of thing on _The Simpsons_: While various supporting characters have been retired from the show when the actors who played them passed away, Shearer’s suite of characters (including Principal Seymour Skinner, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, and Ned Flanders) will reportedly continue to live on, voiced by an actor to be named later. This news comes on the heels of the series’ renewal for a 27th and 28th season on Fox, which will cement its status as the longest-running sitcom in American history. Though the series is far from where it was at the peak of its critical acclaim and centrality to the culture, it would seem to be unkillable, a machine that has relentlessly adjusted its tone, its subject matter, and even its continuity to suit the times. (In a 2008 episode, Homer and Marge were depicted in a flashback as newly dating in the 1990s, even though they were, of course, married and raising Bart and Lisa at that time. _The Simpsons_ has been merciless to its past in its desire to keep up with the times.) Shearer’s departure, though the show will adjust, is the first sign that the show is something other than a perpetual-motion machine. After every cast member, eventually, leaves the series, will it still be _The Simpsons_? That’s not a question the producers will have to answer today. But it’s revealing that Shearer’s departure was the result of his turning down a new contract, and that the actor has a history of [speaking out](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/simpsons-harry-shearer-pay-cut-245600 "undefined") over the show cutting its stars’ pay and trying to negotiate in public. _The Simpsons_ has lasted as long as it has in part thanks to its keeping costs lower than they might otherwise be. For Shearer, that wasn’t sustainable any longer. Next fall will bring the first sense of how a replacement cast member will change the show’s dynamic. If _The Simpsons_ really is going to run forever, that had better be good—because it will need to be the first of many. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3858600/harry-shearer-the-simpsons/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3858600/harry-shearer-the-simpsons/"},"headline":"Harry Shearer's Exit Proves The Simpsons May Not Be Immortal","datePublished":"2015-05-14T16:12:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:12:18.938Z","description":"The voice performer is the first major cast member to leave the Fox stalwart","url":"https://time.com/3858600/harry-shearer-the-simpsons/","keywords":["Television","Fox","The Simpsons"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt29d193d22e8173ca/6987efbfe20a8747f2a895f9/harry-shearer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel D'Addario","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt29d193d22e8173ca/6987efbfe20a8747f2a895f9/harry-shearer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Actor Harry Shearer attends American Cinematheque Hosts The Genius Of Stan Freberg: 70 Years Of Creative Entertainment at the Egyptian Theatre on November 2, 2014 in Hollywood.","caption":"Actor Harry Shearer attends American Cinematheque Hosts The Genius Of Stan Freberg: 70 Years Of Creative Entertainment at the Egyptian Theatre on November 2, 2014 in Hollywood.","creditText":"Michael Kovac—WireImage/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3858600/harry-shearer-the-simpsons/","name":"Harry Shearer's Exit Proves The Simpsons May Not Be Immortal"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"See the Real Life People Who Inspired the Simpsons","description":"Even some of the Simpson's more animated characters come from real-life people.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ckFGPY1s/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-08-21T21:26:56.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ckFGPY1s.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3858600/harry-shearer-the-simpsons/","duration":"PT1M33S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3858600/harry-shearer-the-simpsons/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```