Waylon Smithers

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Waylon Smithers, Jr. usually referred to as Smithers is a recurring fictional character in the animated series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Born in 1954, he is the consummate executive and personal assistant of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's owner Montgomery Burns. In many ways, Smithers represents the stereotype of the closeted gay man, and numerous overt allusions and double entendres concerning his homosexuality are made, though some of the show's producers instead refer to him as a "Burns-sexual".

• 1 Role in The Simpsons
• 2 Character
  • 2.1 Creation
  • 2.2 Development
• 3 Reception
• 4 Merchandise
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Role in The Simpsons

Waylon Smithers is Burns' devoted executive assistant. His father, Waylon Smithers Sr., worked for Burns until he died of radiation poisoning after saving Springfield from a potential nuclear meltdown when Waylon was a baby.^[1] Although he is not openly gay, Smithers frequents Springfield's gay village^[2] and goes on a vacation to a male-only resort.^[3] It was revealed in a flashback that he was involved with a woman, but the two split up when Mr. Burns came between them.^[4] Smithers is shown to have a passionate and deep love for Mr. Burns and his sexual orientation has been characterized by the writers of the show as "Burns-sexual".^[5] Smithers has occasional fantasies about Burns: when we see his computer turning on, it shows a nude Burns with an audio montage saying: "Hello Smithers. You're quite good at turning me on."^[6] Smithers has openly declared his love for Burns on at least two occasions, such as in "Lisa the Skeptic", when, believing the world is ending, Smithers says "Oh, what the hell!" and kisses Burns on the lips, later explaining it to him as "merely a sign of my respect."^[7]

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