Homer Simpson has had multiple careers, and has supported and raised three children. It goes without saying that he’s had an interesting past. Fans of The Simpsons might have problems keeping up with facts of his past, given that the animated series has over 700 episodes.
The Simpsons takes place in a floating timeline. Some elements of Homer’s past appear to contradict each other. Due to contradicting stories, fans often debate what they consider canon and what they don’t. Either way, there’s plenty of facts about Homer’s backstory that are easy to miss.
10 Homer Was Actually Smart As A Kid
In Lisa The Simpson, it’s claimed that a gene in the Simpsons causes the men to gradually lose intelligence as they age. Homer was shown to be intelligent as a kid, even winning a spelling bee in the first grade. Over the years, a few holes have appeared in this story. It’s later revealed that Homer had a crayon lodged in his brain.
He’s quickly shown to be a natural intellect once the crayon is removed. One popular fan theory explains that the Simpson gene simply compels the Simpsons men to lodge crayons in their brains. Regardless, both stories implied Homer had more brain power as a kid than as an adult.
9 He Has A Few Close Relatives He Didn’t Know Existed
Homer was raised as an only child, but he would reunite with long-lost paternal half-siblings as an adult. This includes his half-brother Herbert Powell (who was given up for adoption by Abe), and a British half-sister, Abbey (who Abe was unaware of). It’s unclear if Homer and Abbey even realize they’re related.
Homer briefly had a stepmother, a singer named Rita LaFleur. Abe married Rita after Homer’s mother left them. While Homer was at their wedding, a brain injury caused Homer to block out what happened. This kept him and Abe from joining Rita on a European tour, eventually causing her to leave their lives for years.
8 Homer & Marge Fell In Love With Each Other As Kids Without Realizing It
While at neighboring summer camps, Homer met Marge. Homer was put to work at her camp’s kitchen, charming her by saving her retainer. Due to a series of accidents, Homer shows up with an eyepatch and a fake name. Marge accidentally burns her hair while straightening it, rendering it brown. The two share their first kiss and plan to meet up again.
When Homer is imprisoned at another neighboring camp, Marge thinks he stood her up. Homer wasn’t traceable because he used a fake name. Despite this, the two ended up reuniting and falling in love without recognizing each other. Not knowing the full story, Marge claims she wouldn’t have married Homer if she knew he was the boy who abandoned her.
7 Homer Was Technically Elected Class President In High School
According to Take My Life, Please, Homer ran for class president in high school. He technically won, but the school principal learned that bullies elected Homer as part of a Carrie-style prank. The principal gave the win to Homer’s rival to spare him any humiliation.
It’s revealed that, had the principal not interfered, the students would have accepted Homer as their class president. This would have ignited a life of financial success for Homer. He still would have married Marge, but their children wouldn’t exist.
6 Even As Teens, Marge Liked Him First
The alternate reality where Homer was popular has Marge thinking she’d never interest a boy like him. One scene suggests she loved him first in the main timeline, too. As a teen, Homer was a promising young gymnast, which impressed his classmates.
Marge, with a feathered hairstyle, is in the bleachers asking who he is, implying she wants to get to know him. When they properly reunite with each other, Marge doesn’t recognize Homer. Of course, the two ended up together anyway.
5 There’s Some Debate Over When Exactly Homer & Marge Had Bart, Even In The Show
Early episodes implied Homer and Marge had Bart when they were just out of high school. However, fans have often noted this doesn’t add up with their established ages. Bart is only 10 years old. Marge and Homer are usually shown to be thirty-somethings, having even been described as “almost 40.”
This was finally addressed in the infamous That ’90s Show, where Lisa points out this age discrepancy. Marge implies the earlier story was meant to cover up embarrassing stories about their real early life together.
4 He’s Had A Long & Prolific Career In Music & Even Invented Grunge
As a kid, Homer was shown as a capable singer, but things went downhill when his voice changed. A running theme in his flashbacks is that Homer’s had multiple jobs in the music industry. He worked as a one-man-band busker as an afterschool job in Bart Gets Famous.
He was a vocalist and songwriter with The Be Sharps in Homer’s Barbershop Quartet. He even created grunge music in That ’90s Show, in addition to being part of a swing-style band. Homer is often seen working behind-the-scenes in the music industry well into the present, such as managing Lurleen Lumpkin.
3 He Worked At A Chuck E. Cheese-Style Restaurant As A Teenager
Thanks to The Simpsons‘ floating timeline, Homer’s age in the 1990s has gradually gotten younger. Homer is a teenager in Do PizzaBots Dream Of Electric Guitars?. In the episode, he is shown working at Razzle Dazzle’s Pizza-Tainment Palace, where he operated a group of animatronic animals.
After the machines broke down and traumatized the attending children, Homer took over and reformed them into the “Phuntime Phunky Phour.” While initially popular, the restaurant would soon close down after it was discovered the place was used as a base to sell drugs.
2 His Hair Never Had A Chance
Homer’s brain isn’t the only part of his head that seemed predestined for reduction. Different stories have given various, somewhat contradictory, explanations as to what caused his current baldness. These have ranged from tearing out his hair when learning Marge was pregnant, combing it too often, and the side effect of a military experiment he signed up for to avoid dinner with his sisters-in-law.
1 Many Of His Lifelong Dreams Have Already Come True
A running joke apparent in the early seasons of The Simpsons is for Homer to discuss his lifelong, boyhood dreams with Marge. Marge tends to point out the dreams he’s already accomplished. These things include eating the world’s biggest hoagie, running on to the field during a baseball game, and being a contestant on The Gong Show in 1977.
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