Homer Simpson Declares He Won’t Strangle Bart Anymore onThe Simpsons

(People) – The Simpsons has changed one of its longest-running gags to be more in line with the times.

In a recent episode titled “McMansion & Wife,” which aired on Oct. 22, Homer Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) met with his new neighbor Thayer (Hank Azaria), who noted that Homer had “quite a grip” as they shook hands.

“See, Marge, strangling the boy has paid off,” Homer quipped to his wife. “Just kidding. I don’t do that anymore.”

Homer then added with a smile, “Times have changed!”

Homer’s strangulation of his oldest child Bart (voiced by Nancy Cartwright) has been deployed for laughs since the show’s debut in 1989. (Homer has also been strangled himself — by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played himself in a cameo during the season 22 episode “Love Is a Many Strangled Thing.”)

And although Homer only recently declared he wouldn’t throttle his 10-year-old toon son, the TV dad hasn’t actually done so in several years. According to IGN, Homer last strangled Bart on screen during the show’s 31st season, which airing from 2019 to 2020.