Season 27 of "The Simpsons" just kicked off Sunday night on Fox, and 27 seasons is a whole lot of time in TV land.
So, it's about time one of the recurring characters finally has a chance to come out and make a big announcement about himself: Waylon Smithers will soon reveal he's gay!
OK, loyal viewers — and almost the whole town of Springfield — already know that. It's not as though Mr. Burns' devoted right-hand man has ever tried to hide it, really.
But old Mr. Burns, despite being the object of Smithers' affections, remains oblivious.
"In Springfield now, most people know he’s gay, but obviously Burns doesn’t,” executive producer Al Jean told TVLine. "We deal with that in two episodes."
While there's no word yet on how Smithers' billionaire boss will react to the news-to-him, Jean hinted that there could be changes in store for two characters.
"We actually do a lot with Smithers this year," he said. "He gets fed up with Burns not appreciating him and considers his options."
In fact, in an earlier interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jean flatly explained that Smithers is ready to move on.
"We have a show where Smithers realizes he’s never going to get what he wants from Burns so he quits and falls in love with somebody else," the producer said. "The someone else is a character that Hank [Azaria] has done on the show before, Julio, who is a little like his character from 'The Birdcage.'"
"The Simpsons" airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.