The Simpsons: Kerry Washington joins as Bart’s new permanent teacher

Believe it or not, it’s been nearly a decade since the death of Marcia Wallace, who voiced Mrs. Krabappel on The Simpsons. The character was retired out of respect, and over the years, the role of Bart’s fourth-grade teacher has been filled by guest stars, but a new permanent replacement has been found. Entertainment Weekly reports that Kerry Washington has joined the cast of The Simpsons as Ms. Peyton, the newest teacher at Springfield Elementary.

Kerry Washington will make her debut on The Simpsons this weekend. “She’s a great teacher,” Washington told EW. “But like all the best teachers, she knows that her students have just as much to teach her as she has to teach them. And teaching Bart is a job filled with growth opportunities.” The Simpsons co-executive producer Carolyn Omine said that she didn’t know why they had been putting off replacing Mrs. Krabappel but felt that the time was finally right.

I do miss our dear Marcia, and I think there was a little sadness and reluctance to do it, but it’s been nine years. We would have a conversation at least once a year, maybe every other year. We couldn’t really decide, and we couldn’t really agree. There just wasn’t the inspired thought — until we came upon this.

Kerry Washington started the process herself when she took to Twitter in 2020 to say, “Dear animators looking for black voices… I’m avail.” Omine said that they reached out to Washington about the potential part, but it didn’t take much convincing for her to accept. “I’m just a huge Simpsons fan!” Washington said. “What an extraordinary legacy to be a part of! And I thought the idea of playing Bart’s teacher was so funny. I used to be a teacher in NYC public schools. And my mother is a retired teacher. Teaching is, to me, a sacred profession. I could only imagine the laughs involved in teaching Bart.” Although Kerry Washington isn’t expected to return to The Simpsons again this season, the writers are working out more appearances for season 34 and expect her to pop up as often as Mrs. Krabappel did.