Originally appeared on E! Online.
The city of Springfield can rest easy.
Amid the uproar online surrounding the death of “The Simpsons” matriarch Marge Simpson in a flash-forward during the season 36 finale, the show’s executive producer explained that the character is still very much alive in the cartoon’s universe.
“Obviously since ‘The Simpsons’ future episodes are all speculative fantasies, they’re all different every time,” Matt Selman told Variety in an interview published June 26. “Marge will probably never be dead ever again. The only place Marge is dead is in one future episode that aired six weeks ago.”
In the episode “Estranger Things,” which aired May 18, Marge’s worst fear came true when her eldest kids Bart and Lisa grew apart and the matriarch (voiced by Julie Kavner) envisions the family’s future, during which they eventually reunite to care for an aging Homer, delighting Marge, who watched from heaven.
As Selman explained, when it comes down to it, “’The Simpsons’ doesn’t even have canon!”
READ: “The Simpsons” Kills Off Marge In Shocking Season Finale Twist
But when it comes to the public outcry over Marge’s apparent death, he sees it as proof the long-running animated series — primetime television’s longest-running scripted series in American history — is still relevant.
“I guess this speaks to the fact that people care about Marge,” Selman said. “At the end of the day, it’s probably good for business even when these ridiculous, misleading stories go viral!”
While Marge’s “death” certainly caused a stir, it’s not the first character’s demise from the show’s 790 episodes that has moved fans. In fact, following last season’s death of mainstay Larry the Barfly — whose backstory had never before been explored throughout his 35-season run — viewers reminisced on the beloved Springfielder.
“RIP Larry the Barfly — we hardly knew ye,” one fan wrote on X, while another shared, “May your journey end in a bar with bottomless kegs and an eternal happy hour.”
PHOTOS: “The Simpsons”
