Michael Jackson guest-starred as Leon Kompowsky, but went uncredited (credited as John Jay Smith) for contractual reasons; his role was not confirmed until later.

[4] In March 2019, shortly before the Disney–Fox deal was finalized, following renewed allegations of sexual abuse against Jackson, the episode was pulled from circulation.

Despite promising to keep it secret, Bart tells everyone he knows about Jackson coming to his house; soon, the entire population of Springfield gathers to see the pop star.

"Stark Raving Dad" was written specially for Michael Jackson, a fan of the show, who had called Groening one night and offered to do a guest spot.

[5][6] The offer was accepted and a script was written by Al Jean and Mike Reiss, based on an idea pitched by James L.

[9] The read-through was held at Jackson's manager Sandy Gallin's house, and Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer) was 30 minutes late.

[8] Kompowsky's normal speaking voice, heard at the end of the episode, was recorded by cast member Hank Azaria.

[11] The episode originally was supposed to end with Kompowsky singing a portion of Jackson's song "Man in the Mirror", but it was changed to "Happy Birthday Lisa".

[12][13][14][15] Similarly, in season two, actor Dustin Hoffman had guest-starred in the episode "Lisa's Substitute" under the name "Sam Etic".

[19] The January 30, 1992, rerun of the episode featured a brief alternate opening, which was written in response to a comment made by the then President of the United States George H. W. Bush three days earlier.

The show had previously had a "feud" with the President's wife Barbara Bush when, in the October 1, 1990, edition of People, she called The Simpsons "the dumbest thing [she had] ever seen".

[4] A year after "Stark Raving Dad" aired, the writers planned a sequel in which Kompowsky would return, this time claiming to be the pop star Prince.

[8] As Bart fills out the 20-question psychiatry quiz, Homer watches America's Funniest Home Videos where the three nominated clips are all violent.

Kompowsky mentions several things that made Jackson famous, including Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, "Beat It", and "Thriller".

[8] In its original airing on Fox, "Stark Raving Dad" acquired a 13.9 Nielsen rating and 23 percent share of the audience.

[28] The episode finished second in its time slot behind the season premiere of The Cosby Show, which ranked eighth for the week with a 19.7 rating and 31 percent share.

It reminds me of the show's best days when it delivered that perfect blend of bizarre humor, social commentary and unexpected sweetness.

In a 2009 review for Slate, Josh Levin wrote that "The greatness of 'Stark Raving Dad' has a lot more to do with The Simpsons' writing staff than with Jackson's voice-over talents.

"The laughs are literally non-stop, and Jackson's unmistakable vocal presence [...] adds a thousand watts of star power.

[35] In a DVD audio commentary, writer Mike Reiss said he felt that Michael Jackson is "not a terrific actor [...] but he did fine.

[37] Writing for IGN, Robert Canning said in a 2009 review that "Stark Raving Dad" is a "solid, funny and touching episode" and described Jackson's performance as "heartfelt yet self-parodying".

[38] In a 2011 article, Andrew Martin of Prefix Mag named Michael Jackson his second-favorite musical guest on The Simpsons.

[39] In 2003, DVD Movie Guide's Colin Jacobson commented that the episode was a good start to season three, but it "gets sappy on more than a few occasions, and it lacks the acerbic bite of the series' best shows.

"[40] In a 2004 review for Digitally Obsessed, Nate Meyers wrote that "there are many funny gags in this episode, especially in the first act when Homer gets a tour of the [mental] hospital.

The jokes seem forced and there is too much of an effort to sentimentalize the relationship between Bart and Lisa, causing the show to lose its narrative drive.

[42] In a 2009 article for TV Squad, Mike Moody said the episode's "sweetest moment" is at the end when Kompowsky and Bart perform the birthday song for Lisa.

Ben Rayner called it a "crap tune",[42] and Chris Selley of Maclean's magazine wrote that "Stark Raving Dad" is "an unbearably sappy episode, and that birthday song for Lisa is just ...

"[44] Dave Walker of The Times-Picayune listed the episode as one of Jackson's "many memorable TV moments" and called the song "unforgettable".

[9] In March 2019, following the release of the documentary film Leaving Neverland, which details allegations against Jackson of child sexual assault, "Stark Raving Dad" was pulled from circulation.

[51] The Slate journalist Isaac Butler criticized the removal as "an offense against art and the medium of television, and part of a growing trend of corporations using their consolidated power and the death of physical media to do damage control by destroying works by troublesome artists".