Dark lives of millionaire Simpsons stars…youth jail & booze battle to Bart actor’s pain over Scientology scandal tragedy
SHE has famously voiced straight-laced Milhouse in The Simpsons for 35 years – but the young life of Pamela Hayden couldn’t be further from the nerdy character.
The actress (below), 71, who is retiring from the animated comedy this Sunday, revealed she served a stint in juvenile detention when she was just a school kid.
Now Pamela says it’s time to “hang up my microphone” after 694 episodes, where she voiced Bart’s best friend, Homer’s religious neighbour Rod Flanders and the school bully Jimbo Jones.
While many were surprised by her backstory, her difficulties are nothing compared to what some of her co-stars have faced.
They include Simpsons co-stars – Hank Azaria and Kelsey Grammer – battling alcohol problems.
There was also tragedy for Julie Kavner, aka Marge Simpson, whose partner of 46 years died in 2022, and another star whose fiance took his own life suicide in 2009.
While it was all laughs on screen – (as you can see below) – behind the scenes a lot of troubles plagued the Simpsons voice stars. Here we reveal their stories.
Yeardley Smith – aka Lisa Simpson
Two years ago the twice-divorced actress got hitched to the detective who was tasked with being her bodyguard at the unveiling of a Simpsons mural.
Yeardley (below), 60, who met Dan Grice in 2014 in Springfield, Oregon, needed protection because she’d been harassed by stalkers in the past.
It was a happy ending, for the star whose life has been far from easy.
For almost a quarter of a century she suffered from bulimia, only checking herself into a clinic when she turned 40 in a bid to overcome the compulsion to throw up her food.
14 times The Simpsons 'predicted the future'
SOME believe The Simpsons isn’t only an animated comedy that has left millions in stitches – but a fortune teller too.
From the election of world leaders to business scandals and iconic pop culture moments, a number of supposed fictional moments have come true years after they aired on the show.
Here we reveal some of The Simpsons’ predictions:
- Donald Trump’s Presidency: In a 2000 episode titled “Bart to the Future,” The Simpsons predicted Donald Trump would become the President of the United States.
- Siegfried and Roy Tiger Attack: An episode aired in 1993 showed a white tiger attacking magicians, similar to the real-life incident with Siegfried and Roy in 2003.
- Smartwatches: The 1995 episode “Lisa’s Wedding” featured characters using wristwatch-like devices to communicate, which resemble modern smartwatches.
- Disney Buys 20th Century Fox: A 1998 episode titled “When You Dish Upon a Star” depicted a sign that read “20th Century Fox, a Division of Walt Disney Co.” Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019.
- Ebola Outbreak: In a 1997 episode, Marge suggests Bart read a book titled “Curious George and the Ebola Virus,” years before the major Ebola outbreak in 2014.
- Video Calls: The 1995 episode “Lisa’s Wedding” showed video calling, a technology that has become commonplace with apps like Skype and FaceTime.
- Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Performance: In a 2012 episode, Lady Gaga performs at a concert suspended in the air, similar to her actual Super Bowl halftime performance in 2017.
- Faulty Voting Machines: A 2008 episode showed a voting machine that changed votes, which was reported during the 2012 election.
- Nobel Prize Winner: In a 2010 episode, Milhouse predicts that MIT professor Bengt Holmström would win the Nobel Prize in Economics, which he did in 2016.
- FIFA Scandal: In a 2014 episode, The Simpsons depicted a corrupt FIFA executive, foreshadowing the real-life FIFA corruption scandal that emerged in 2015.
- Greece’s Financial Crisis: A 2012 episode showed a news ticker stating “Europe puts Greece on eBay,” predicting the severe financial crisis in Greece.
- U.S. Curling Team Wins Gold: In a 2010 episode, The Simpsons showed Homer and Marge competing in curling and winning against Sweden, similar to the U.S. team’s unexpected victory in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
- Game of Thrones Finale: A 2017 episode parodied Game of Thrones, including a dragon burning down a village, similar to events in the show’s final season in 2019.
- Autocorrect Fail: In a 1994 episode, a bully writes a memo on a Newton device that autocorrects to “Eat up Martha,” predicting the common autocorrect issues users face today.
- COVID-19 Pandemic: A 1993 episode featured a fictional virus called the “Osaka Flu” spreading globally, reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lisa Simpson star said: “I remember thinking, ‘I can’t turn 40 and still be bingeing and puking my brains out, I can’t.’
“So I sort of pulled up my socks and said, ‘All right, I need some actual help.'”
Yeardley split from her second husband Daniel Erickson in 2008, following six years of marriage.
She divorced her first husband Christopher Grove, an actor in 1992.
The night I went into AA, Matthew brought me in. As a sober person he was so caring and giving and wise and he totally helped me get sober.
Hank Azaria
Yeardley is worth an estimated £96million
Nancy Cartwright – aka Bart Simpson
“Ay, caramba”, the woman who voices skateboarding rebel Bart, is one of Scientology’s most devoted followers.
Nancy, 67, has been a member of the contentious cult since 1991 and last year visited the UK for its annual get-together in East Grinstead, Surrey.
She is reported to have donated more than £16million to the secretive organisation, but can afford to because the actress earns around £160,000 per Simpsons episode.
Nancy had two children, Lucy Mae and Jackson, with her former husband Warren Murphy, who she divorced in 2002 after 14 years of marriage.
Seven years later, tragedy struck when her construction worker fiance Stephen Brackett took his own life.
This was followed by a legal battle over claims that Stephen had “diverted contract funds” from a job he was working on to the Church of Scientology.
I remember thinking, ‘I can’t turn 40 and still be bingeing and puking my brains out, I can’t.
Yeardley Smith
Nancy’s niece is Sabrina Carpenter, the pop star who has topped the charts with Espresso.
Julie Kavner – aka Marge Simpson
For the past two years, Julie has been grieving the loss of her husband David Davis, who died in November 2022.
They had been together since 1976, having met while working on a TV series called Rhoda, which David had helped create.
Julie, 74, said: “He gave me my career, my heart and my life.”
But the actress rarely speaks publicly and won’t be photographed while working.
Her obsession with privacy goes as far as not inviting friends to her home in Los Angeles.
Julie told the New York Times: “I have had friends for years who have never seen my house.”
David was aged 86 when he passed away.
Julie considered retiring in 1992 but The Simpsons wouldn’t be the same without her gravely voice.
Hank Azaria – aka Barman Moe and Chief Wiggum
The actor was devastated by the death of his pal Matthew Perry last year – revealing that the Friends’ star had helped him quit booze for good.
Hank, 60, whose roles included Phoebe Buffay’s boyfriend David in the sitcom, said: “We were really more like brothers for a long time.
“We drank a lot together, we laughed a lot together. We were there for each other in the early days of our career.”
It was Matthew who took Hank to Alcoholics Anonymous 18 years ago and helped the Simpsons actor stay sober.
He said: “The night I went into AA, Matthew brought me in. As a sober person he was so caring and giving and wise and he totally helped me get sober.”
Hank, who also worked on Night at the Museum and The Smurfs, was married to actress Helen Hunt for a year and has a 15-year-old son called Hal with his second wife Katie Wright
Two years ago he apologised for the offence he caused by proving the voice of Indian immigrant Apu on The Simpsons, following complaints of racial stereotyping of the shop worker.
Kelsey Grammer – aka Sideshow Bob
The four-times married star has a life almost as complex as a Simpsons plot.
The 69-year-old actor is best known for playing snooty psychiatrist Dr Frasier Crane on Cheers and Frasier, but also voiced Bart’s evil nemesis Sideshow Bob.
Kelsey suffered a terrible trauma in 1975 when he had to identify the body of his murdered 18-year-old sister Karen.
She had been brutally slain by serial killer Freddie Glenn and two other men.
The mental health issues are believed to have contributed to his battle with drink and drugs.
Kelsey was caught driving under the influence in 1987 and a year later was given 300 hours of community service for possessing cocaine.
In 1990 he was jailed for 30 days after failing to attend an alcohol abuse program, which was part of his probation.
I lived a really reckless life, I never thought I’d live to be 30
Pamela Hayden
The father-of-seven became sober in 1996 after nearly dying in a car crash.
These days he has found God and has been married to former airline attendant Katye Walsh, from Bristol, since 2011.
Kelsey is known for his outspoken political views, once saying that he admired Vladimir Putin and supporting Donald Trump.
Pamela Hayden – aka Milhouse
The 71-year-old actress is one of the original Simpsons cast members – having voiced Bart’s best pal Milhouse since before it was even commissioned as a TV series.
But Pamela has revealed that she had to bounce back from a tough start in life – she had neglectful parents, was sent to an abusive boarding school and ended up in juvenile detention for stealing.
In last year’s documentary Jailhouse to Milhouse, she said: “I lived a really reckless life, I never thought I’d live to be 30…
“After I got out of that place (jail), the head administrator said to my parents, ‘She’ll never amount to anything’.”
It made her all the more determined to be a success and through her most famous character Milhouse, she found solace.
Pamela said: “I can’t remember how many times I’ve said, ‘Everything’s coming up Milhouse!’ But the truth is, everything wasn’t always coming up Pamela.
“Milhouse is always getting knocked down, but he keeps getting back up, and I love that.
“I had some really pesky years when I was younger. I feel like Milhouse mirrors that. You can’t be disheartened by every obstacle that comes your way. There’s a brighter day tomorrow.”
She felt Milhouse’s ability to always bounce back, no matter how many mishaps the scriptwriters throw at him, could be inspirational to others.
Pamela, who lives in California, also spoke about her mental health issues and struggles with depression, which she brands her “nemesis” in the doc.