The beloved animated series, The Simpsons, has officially retired one of its iconic characters after a nearly 30-year run.
In a recent episode from its 37th season, cleverly titled “Seperance,” which parodies the Apple TV+ show Severance, the character Duffman made his final appearance, delivering his signature catchphrase, “Oh yeah!” for the last time.
Airing on Sunday, the episode featured Barry Duffman, the third-person-speaking spokesman for Duff Beer, making an unexpected visit to the Simpsons’ household to deliver the news.
In a scene that broke the fourth wall, Barry informed Homer, Marge, and their children, as well as the show’s audience, that the beloved company mascot would no longer be a part of the series.
He elaborated on the decision to retire his cape, aligning with the show’s long-standing tradition of notable predictions, with 2026 appearing to be no exception.
“The Duff Corporation has, uh, retired that character forever,” Barry announced, marking the end of an era for the animated sitcom.
The Simpsons announced the ‘forever’ retirement of a longtime character after nearly three decades on the show
‘All the old forms of advertising are now passé,’ he continued. ‘Corporate spokesmen, print ads, TV spots. Today’s kids can’t even sing the jingles.’
The Duffman mascot, who is voiced by Hank Azaria, is known for his superhero costume featuring a red cape and a belt decorated with Duff beer cans as well as his signature catch phrase: ‘Oh yeah.’
His first appearance was in the 1997 episode titled The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson.
He made appearances in the show all the way up until the last season and his final appearance in season 37.
In the same episode, Duffman tried to recruit Homer to join a corporation called EOD but eventually deprogrammed himself, doing so in his civilian outfit after seemingly putting his cape away for good, per TVLine.
The mascot’s final appearance comes less than two months after another longtime Simpsons character was taken off the show albeit with a more tragic fate.
First Church Organist Alice Glick, who has been a regular side character on the show for 35 seasons across 34 years, died during a sermon.
The move comes as the show has been blasted by fans, alternately for killing off beloved but minor characters and for continuing to go on with no end in sight as its lead characters’ voices have noticeably aged.
In the season 37 episode titled Seperance, a parody of Apple TV series Severance, the Duffman superhero mascot made his final appearance and uttered his final ‘oh yeah!’
In the episode that aired on Sunday, Barry Duffman, the Duff Beer spokesman who speaks in third person entered the Simpsons’ home and shared the news
He told the titular family – Homer, Marge and their children – that the company mascot was retired as he concurrently announced the news to the viewers
His first appearance was in the 1997 episode titled The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson
He made appearances in the show all the way up until the last season and his final appearance in season 37
The move comes as the show has been blasted by fans, alternately for killing off beloved but minor characters and for continuing to go on with no end in sight as its lead characters’ voices have noticeably aged
The Simpson previously struck up controversy in June 2025 when it killed off one of the series leads, Marge Simpson, but only in a flash-forward taking place years in the future.
Prior to that, a string of minor characters had been killed off, including Larry the Barfly.
In 2023, Bart’s longtime antagonist Sideshow Bob (voiced by Frasier star Kelsey Grammer) was killed off, but it was in another flash-forward in that year’s Treehouse Of Horror Halloween episode, which isn’t consider canonical.
Even as The Simpsons has moved to cull some of its less-popular characters, it has also brought back iconic faces in recent years, including the Albert Brooks–voiced Jacques, a French bowler who tried to score a strike with Marge.
