The Simpsons accidentally include link to 'Simpsons porn' in new Halloween episode
Fans of The Simpsons got quite the fright after visiting a website that was featured in the latest episode.
It wouldn't be Halloween without us having a new Treehouse of Horror to sink our teeth into and the 36th instalment of this spooky special aired on Fox earlier this week.
But this year, it's not the plot of the episode that has left people aghast, but rather the inclusion of a blink-and-you'll-miss-it gag in Matt Groening's sitcom which has now taken on a life of its own.
The latest episode of The Simpsons aired on Sunday (25 October), ensuring that fans of the show had plenty of time to enjoy it before the weekend.
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The synopsis for Treehouse of Horror XXXVII explains: "In this year's extra-scary, ultra-spooky Treehouse of Horror, Marge gets a horrifying new perspective on marriage; Bart and Santa's Little Helper embark on a bone-chilling adventure; and Homer takes a driving lesson."
At one point during the episode, Lisa and Bart head to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) as they attempt to track down Homer.
They arrive to find the building in darkness, however, there was a sign outside which offered some further instructions about how to get in touch.
In what is believed to be a gag about some of the shortcomings of the government agency that is the DMV, the sign read: "Visit our website at our-website-is-broken.org."
Most people probably laughed at this sarcastic URL and moved swiftly on - but one viewer decided to take it as an opportunity to cause some mischief.
Typically, TV and film studios will register the domain names of websites or social media handles that appear on-screen, so that other folks don't lay claim to them.
But it appears that the team behind The Simpsons dropped the ball on this one, as 'our-website-is-broken.org' was still up for grabs.
So, a prankster opted to take advantage of this oversight by asserting ownership of this domain - and launching a website featuring what social media users have described as 'Simpsons porn'.
A host of inquisitive viewers visited the link after tuning into Treehouse of Horror XXXVII and got the shock of their life, as topless images of Marge Simpson’s sisters, Patty and Selma, flashed on their screens.
As I'm sure you can appreciate, this content was a lot more unsettling that anything that was featured in The Simpsons Halloween special.
According to one X user, it also repeated '67' if you visited the website and turned the volume up, before 'many more pictures splashed on screen'.
'A grand mistake'
Needless to say, some viewers won't be able to look at Patty and Selma the same ever again.
Discussing the debacle online, one social media user said: "The link in this scene brings you to straight up jiggling yellow Simpsons boobs...what."
Another joked: "Man, I really shouldn't have used my work computer to check that."
A third added: They made a grand mistake not purchasing the domain beforehand. How did they assume nobody was going to do this?"
A fourth dubbed it 'diabolical', while a fifth asked: "An OFFICIAL Simpsons episode that has a link to a bunch of Simpsons porn is absolutely psychotic. How did such a thing even happen?"
Fans of The Simpsons said that the URL has since been scrubbed from the episode - and it appears as though the website is no longer active.
LADbible has contacted Fox for comment.
A similar situation unfolded following the release of the 2002 romcom About A Boy, as a URL titled 'supermodelswithseethroughtops.com' appeared while Hugh Grant was browsing his computer.
Thankfully, this site simply displays a snap of the Popemobile on it - and the bloke who took advantage of this domain remaining unclaimed, known as JR, explained what motivated him.
"I checked to see if it was a real site, and I was surprised that it wasn’t registered," he told Film Stories in 2023. "I don’t know if the filmmakers thought it was too long to be real or just didn’t care. I registered it."
He went on to explain that he initially 'wasn't sure' what to display on the website, adding: "I considered putting some joke about a Hugh Grant scandal, but then thought the Pope has a super model of car with a see through top so I put up the popemobile."
"I thought maybe I could make money with ads on it, but it just seemed too pure of a joke to spoil with anything additional, so it’s just been out there on the internet as a public service for 20 years now."
Topics: Adult Industry, The Simpsons, Halloween, Weird, TV and Film
Olivia Burke