‘The Simpsons’ Retires Fan-Favorite Character ‘Forever’ After Nearly 30 Years

The Simpsons has said goodbye to a fan-favorite character.

In Sunday’s episode of the long-running adult animated series, one character officially “retired” after nearly three decades.

Warning! Spoilers beyond this point for Sunday’s episode of The Simpsons, “Seperance.”

The Severance-parodied episode, “Seperance,” saw longtime Duff Beer spokesperson Duffman announcing he’d be hanging up the beer. The announcement came when Barry Duffman visited the titular family to recruit Homer to work for Enthusiasm on Demand. “The Duff Corporation has, uh, retired that character forever,” announced Duffman. “All the old forms of advertising are now passé. Corporate spokesmen, print ads, TV spots – today’s kids can’t even sing the jingles.”

Barry Duffman made his introduction in Season 9’s “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson” in 1997, and he quickly grew to become a popular favorite among fans. Although fans will no longer hear his familiar catchphrase, “Oh, yeah!” or his signature outfit complete with a Duff-branded cap, wayfarer sunglasses, red cape, light blue bodysuit, and a utility belt with Duff beer, he had plenty of memorable moments over the years that viewers can hold on to.

Duffman was voiced by Hank Azaria, but it’s known that the actual mascot has been played by multiple characters over the years. While fans may be sad that Duffman is no more, Azaria is likely happy about that fact. He’s spoken up in the past about the damage voicing the character has done to his voice, telling former The Simpsons writer Conan O’Brien in 2020 that he dreads voicing Duffman.

“There are certain voices I save, like Duffman will blow me out in a second,” Azaria admitted via The Hollywood Reporter. “I have to save Duffman for the end, and I actually dread it. It actually does hurt, but I am not complaining.” With the character’s booming staccato, it seemed to have taken quite a toll on his vocal cords.

Duffman’s retirement comes just a month before The Simpsons is supposed to hit a major milestone. The series will be airing its 800^th episode on Feb. 15, but don’t expect the Duff Beer mascot to be included. If anything, fans can always watch every season of The Simpsons on Disney+ and the latest episodes on Hulu if they want to catch more glimpses of the beloved character.