Fans Mourn As 'The Simpsons' Bids Farewell To Fan-Favorite Character After Nearly 30 Years

The Simpsons fans, we are officially bereaved: the long-running show is retiring one of its longest-running characters, and fans are beside themselves.

The iconic animated sitcom, which first aired in 1989 and is the longest-running scripted primetime television show in American history, announced that the beloved character of Duffman is no more.

Duffman, the super-hero mascot of Duff Beer known for his beer-can belt, announced in a recent episode that he has been retired by a soulless corporation no longer interested in his services. Sign of the times!

The episode, titled "Seperance," is a take-off of the hit dystopian AppleTV show Severance.

In it, Barry Duffman, the man in Duffman's costume, is seen appearing at the Simpsons' home to recruit Homer to work for a similarly creepy and soulless corporation, EOD, an acronym for Enthusiasm On Demand.

And with technology having apparently solved the problem of enthusiasm, it seems the Duff Corporation no longer sees a need for Duffman, because corporations must always ruin everything!

In a commentary on how soulless everything has become in our contemporary culture, Duffman tells Homer:

"The Duff Corporation has retired that character forever."

"All the old forms of advertising are now passé. Corporate spokesmen, print ads, TV spots. Today's kids can't even sing the jingles."

By the end of the episode, Barry Duffman has been "deprogrammed" by EOD, taken off his Duffman costume, and walked off into regular life as his regular self.

So, technically, Duffman's corporeal form still exists, if that's of any comfort to anyone.

But judging from the response online, it will do nothing to quell the sadness of Duffman's departure!

Duffman, who was voiced by actor Hank Azaria who also voices several other The Simpsons characters including Moe the bartender, first appeared in 1997's season 9 episode "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson."

His last appearance was in the season 36 episode "PS I Hate You." But he's far from the only character to be killed off lately.

Last November, the show killed off Alice Glick, the organist at the First Church of Springfield, and even Simpsons matriarch Marge was killed off in a flash-forward last season.

Thankfully, showrunner Matt Selman quickly clarified that the show's flash-forwards are "speculative fantasies" that have no actual bearing on the show's reality.

Thank goodness, because a Marge death would be too much to take!