Fox News had planned to use clips of Homer Simpson voting in presidential elections as part of its defense against the $1.6 billion lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems.
Dominion argued Fox News and its top hosts spread conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being rigged despite being aware these claims were false.
The network's legal team planned to present several clips from The Simpsons in court had the case gone to trial.
Four scenes from the classic animated sitcom were submitted as trial exhibits in the defamation lawsuit.
\u201c"Fox's lengthy list of trial exhibits includes four clips from "The Simpsons"" https://t.co/hvp7QfL32p\u201d— Oliver Willis (@Oliver Willis) 1681832658
These scenes all showed Homer voting in different presidential elections:
- In Season 20's "Treehouse of Horror XIX," he attempted to cast a ballot for Barack Obama.
- In the promotional short Homer Votes 2012, he voted for Mitt Romney.
- The YouTube short Homer Votes 2016 features Russian President Vladimir Putin disguised as an American voter trying to convince Homer to vote for Donald Trump.
- In Season 32's "Treehouse of Horror XXXI," Homer was uncertain whether to vote for Trump or Biden.
However, that scenario never materialized as Fox News ultimately reached a settlement with Dominion yesterday, just as the case was about to begin, putting an end to the massive two-year legal battle that had badly tarnished the reputation of a right-wing network already well-known for lying and spreading misinformation profusely.
Many were stunned by Fox News' planned defense and accused the network of making a mockery of the legal system.
\u201cBREAKING: No Joke! Fox News has just unveiled some of their exhibits for the Dominion trial. They include four separate clips from the hit TV series, 'The Simpsons'. The four episodes all show Homer Simpson voting in Presidential elections. They are as follows:\n\n- "Treehouse of\u2026\u201d— Ed Krassenstein (@Ed Krassenstein) 1681832215
\u201cDominion should enter all the Simpsons' jokes about Fox News into the record now.\u201d— Kevin M. Kruse (@Kevin M. Kruse) 1681838184
\u201cFor some reason, Fox News is going to present clips of \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d to the jury as part of their defense in the massive Dominion defamation suit. Do they not know \u201cThe Simpsons\u201d is a fictional cartoon, you know, kind of like their shows?\u201d— Mike Sington (@Mike Sington) 1681843624
\u201cDominion: \u201cWe have over 7,000 pieces of evidence.\u201d\n\nFox: \u201cWe have The Simpsons.\u201d\u201d— Hoodlum \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Hoodlum \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1681852145
\u201cDear Dominion Attorneys, apparently Fox News thinks The Simpsons is admissible. That couldn't possibly harm them...\u201d— \ud83c\udf2c\ufe0fLucas Smells Like Bounce Fabric Softener\ud83d\udd1cACFI (@\ud83c\udf2c\ufe0fLucas Smells Like Bounce Fabric Softener\ud83d\udd1cACFI) 1681853827
\u201cStop. It. \ud83e\udee3\n\nMeanwhile, I am waiting for someone to pull the clip where The Simpsons predicted Fox News trying to use them to *checks notes* disprove they defamed Dominion. \n\nWait. Am I in that episode now, Matt Groening?\u201d— WriterIowa \ud83d\udd8b\ufe0f (@WriterIowa \ud83d\udd8b\ufe0f) 1681836709
\u201cNext up...Roadkill as a defense strategy \n\nFox News submits clips of 'The Simpsons' as evidence in Dominion defamation case https://t.co/fIX7QaTDYV\u201d— Devin Nunes' Cattle Dog (@Devin Nunes' Cattle Dog) 1681856353
\u201cIt seems to me that enlisting the help of Homer Simpson in your defense is not a power move.\nFox News submits clips of 'The Simpsons' as evidence in Dominion defamation case https://t.co/JeNkLsbaqE\u201d— Jeff Connor \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf40\ud83d\ude42 (@Jeff Connor \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udf40\ud83d\ude42) 1681840312
Fox News paid over $787 million to settle the case, which is now the largest known defamation settlement involving a media company in American history.
The agreement was disclosed after the jury had been sworn in at the Delaware Superior Court.
During the trial, there were rumors that a settlement had been reached, and the proceedings came to a sudden stop for nearly three hours after the lunch break, with no explanation given. Apparently, during that time, the parties were working out the terms of the settlement.
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