Michael Jackson was one of the most recognizable voices in music when The Simpsons pulled off a strange trick in 1991. Viewers heard him speaking through an animated character, yet his famous name never appeared in the credits. Stranger still, when that character started singing like Michael Jackson, the voice audiences heard was not actually Michael’s.
The episode was the Season 3 premiere, “Stark Raving Dad,” first broadcast on September 19, 1991. Jackson had personally approached The Simpsons team about appearing on the show and voiced Leon Kompowsky, a psychiatric patient who believed he was Michael Jackson. Instead of Jackson’s name, the credits listed the mysterious “John Jay Smith.”
Michael Jackson on The Simpsons: Stark Raving Dad
The secret becomes even stranger once Leon begins to sing. Those vocals were performed by singer Kipp Lennon, who could imitate Jackson closely enough to make the switch almost invisible. The usual explanation is that Jackson’s recording contract prevented him from singing for the episode. Another account says Jackson also enjoyed the idea of fooling his brothers with the impersonation.
Jackson’s influence went beyond simply reading lines. He reportedly asked for a joke involving Prince to be changed to Elvis Presley and helped shape the episode’s music. His connection with Bart Simpson also led directly into another unusually secretive collaboration, one that became a hit far beyond the television episode.
What Really Happened When Michael Jackson Guest-Starred on The Simpsons?
That second story was “Do the Bartman.” Matt Groening later said Jackson helped write and produce the song without receiving public credit, although producer Bryan Loren later disputed how much Jackson actually wrote. What is clear is that Jackson was involved with the project, contributed creatively and remained fascinated by Bart long before most viewers knew about the connection.
For an artist who had already transformed pop music with Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad, this strange television cameo showed another side of Michael Jackson. He could enter America’s biggest cartoon under another name, let another singer imitate his voice and still leave fingerprints all over the finished result. Watch both videos above and see just how much Michael was hiding in plain sight.