Very few series have been on the air anywhere near as long as The Simpsons has, which means very few TV shows come close to being on the same level when it comes to guest stars. Beloved characters like Sideshow Bob and Fat Tony wouldn’t exist without recurring guest actors like Kelsey Grammer and Joe Mantegna, but we’re here to appreciate a smaller sub-section of Springfield visitors: celebrities who have played themselves.
Though The Simpsons has relied far more on famous folks playing fictional characters, the series has also boasted a wide variety of celebs from the worlds of art, entertainment, sports and literature across the past 30+ years. (Speaking of Mantegna, he actually voiced himself during Fat Tony’s first episode “Bart the Murderer.”) Now let’s look at a bunch of famous faces who popped up in 2D alongside the Simpson family and other characters. All but one episode noted below is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.
Tony Bennett
With a career that spanned 70 years, Tony Bennett earned innumerable accolades including a whopping 20 Grammy wins. One of his more noteworthy feats, at least for animation fans, is that he was the very first Simpsons guest star to play themself. Even if it wasn’t the meatiest of Bennett's many film and TV cameos, it still opened the door for others to follow in his crooning footsteps.
Appears As Himself In: Season 2’s “Dancin’ Homer” Also can be heard singing “Capital City” in Season 14’s “Bart Vs. Lisa Vs. the 3rd Grade” and Season 24’s “Whiskey Business”
Betty White
National treasure Betty White first made her way into The Simpsons’ universe in Season 11 as a pledge drive host, though the role was initially offered to her former co-star Mary Tyler Moore. She was presumably the first choice for her second appearance seven seasons later, however, in which she plays up the fact that she and Homer had met before.
Appears As Herself In: Season 11’s “Missionary: Impossible” and Season 18’s “Homerazzi”
Anthony Bourdain
Celebrity chef and “food bad boy” Anthony Bourdain was no stranger to hosting his own TV shows, which played into his Simpsons cameo in one of Marge’s food-centric dreams. The award-winning chef and author wasn’t the only foodie guest star in that ep, as it also featured Gordon Ramsey and Mario Batali.
Appears As Himself In: Season 23’s “The Food Wife”
Halle Berry
Academy Award winner Halle Berry graced the animated Oscars stage for her big Simpsons guest spot as the presenter announcing “Angry Dad” as the Best Animated Short winner. Though not before she introduced the show’s cracking Wallace & Gromit parody, nor before she confessed to dreaming about her teeth flying out of her mouth.
Appears As Herself In: Season 22’s “Angry Dad: The Movie”
Paul And Linda McCartney
Paul McCartney is one of three founding Beatles members to guest star on The Simpsons, and the only one to be accompanied by his wife, Linda McCartney. Their appearance came out under the specific condition that Lisa Simpson remain a vegetarian throughout the rest of the show’s run, and she’s stuck to her sustenance-minded guns since.
Appear As Themselves In: Season 7’s “Lisa the Vegetarian,” which also uses the song “Maybe I’m Amazed” over the end credits
Drew Barrymore
Multi-hyphenate celeb Drew Barrymore first popped up on The Simpsons back in 2000 as Krusty the Clown's daughter from a one-night stand, and it took another 24 years for her to return, this time as herself from the set of her daytime talk show.
Appears As Herself In: Season 34’s “The King of Nice,” and as Sophie Krustopfsky in Season 12’s “Insane Clown Poppy”
Stephen King
The King of Horror appeared on The Simpsons in 2000, which was the rare year in which Stephen King didn’t publish any finalized fictional works. (He did release the nonfiction memoir On Writing and the incomplete serialized e-book The Plant.) King turned down the offer to reprise himself for 2022’s Halloween parody special “Not It.”
Appears As Himself In: Season 12’s “Insane Clown Poppy”
Britney Spears
In the months before the release of her second mega-popular album Oops!...I Did It Again, as well as her first Grammy nomination, the fictional version of pop star Britney Spears took on some low-hanging job fruit by co-hosting the annual Springfield Pride Awards opposite Kent Brockman. She also aided in the death of 108-year-old Cornelius Chapman, as her kiss sent him to the Circus in the sky.
Appears As Herself In: Season 11’s “The Mansion Family”
Gal Gadot
A year after her blockbuster leading role in Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot attempted to land an acting gig playing Lisa Simpson for a faith-based movie sourced to Bart’s fabricated story about seeing heaven after a serious injury. The episode also featured a jokey reference to her handing out hamburgers at the 2018 Oscars.
Appears As Herself In: Season 30’s “Bart’s Not Dead”
Cheech And Chong
The comedic duo of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong teamed up once more in animated form for a Simpsons episode dating back to 2011, and one that didn’t hinge upon the leafy plant that fueled their early careers. Also noteworthy: even though Cheech and Chong technically first appeared on South Park, those cameos were recorded separately years before they formally reunited.
Appear As Themselves In: Season 22’s “A Midsummer’s Nice Dream”
Carmen Electra
Baywatch and Scary Movie fave Carmen Electra popped up in one of The Simpsons’ more bizarro celebrity cameos. After Marge and Homer were blamed and jailed for the death of an elderly woman (voiced by Frances Sternhagen), it was all revealed to be part of a new Fox prank show, and not only was the woman still alive, but she was actually Electra in disguise.
Appears As Herself In: Season 13’s “The Frying Game”
Daniel Radcliffe
Harry Potter vet Daniel Radcliffe poked fun at his own massive fame when he appeared as himself following two previous Simpsons guest spots, running into Homer at a video game convention while in costume, though he immediately gave himself away, only to be consumed by a group of nearby fans.
Appears As Himself In: Season 29’s “No Good Read Goes Unpunished,” as vampire Edmund in Season 22’s “Treehouse of Horror XXI,” and as Bart’s new friend Diggs in Season 25’s “Diggs”
50 Cent
Grammy winner 50 Cent appeared in one of The Simpsons’ music-centric episodes paying homage to hip-hop, though he didn’t contribute to the musical side of things, and instead tried to make inspiring Bart count as community service. The episode is also notable for inspiring the “Thursday the 20th” necklace meme.
Appears As Himself In: Season 16's "Pranksta Rap"
Suzanne Somers
While still in the midst of her run as a TGIF fan-favorite character in Step By Step, Suzanne Somers appeared as herself opposite an animated David Brinkley as the commentator hosts for the Itchy & Scratchy Show-themed parade. But while the Three’s Company vet did indeed provide her voice for the gags, Brinkley was voiced by Simpsons vet Harry Shearer.
Appears As Herself In: Season 7’s “The Day the Violence Died”
Matt Groening
The Simpsons’ co-creator Matt Groening is one of the few guest stars whose celebrity status was directly influenced by the existence and success of the show itself. He first appeared as a featured celeb in the show’s Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con, and could be seen gloating about his wealth while loading comics into a truck in the Season 21 premiere, with both eps revolving around Comic Book Guy plots.
Appears As Himself In: Season 15’s “My Big Fat Geek Wedding” Season 21’s “Homer the Whopper” as an announcer in Season 23’s “Holidays of Future Passed”
Lady Gaga
The Season 23 finale stands out as a special one, in that Lady Gaga’s appearance as herself was a core part of the main narrative, as opposed to just a limited cameo. The episode’s focus on unhappiness wasn’t so well-received, but it’s still a great send-up of the singer-songwriter and American Horror Story vet.
Appears As Herself In: Season 23’s “Lisa Goes Gaga”
"Weird" Al Yankovic
Parody mastermind “Weird” Al Yankovic is always dependable for a great cameo, and his first Simpsons appearance featured the faux parody “Homer and Marge,” spoofing the John Mellencamp hit “Jack & Diane.” He next showed up in flashback form (with glasses and curly hair galore) for the layered parody “Brain Freeze,” sending up Homer’s Nirvana-spoofing grunge song “Shave Me.” He then showed up as himself to sing and play the opening theme for a Season 34 couch gag.
Appears As Himself In: Season 14’s “Three Gays of the Condo” Season 19’s “That 90s Show” Season 34’s “Hostile Kirk Place”
Bette Midler
A winner of multiple Grammys and Emmys, Bette Midler showed up in one of The Simpsons’ most eclectic batch of guest stars, many of whom were portrayed to be quasi-friends of Krusty the Clown. (Including Johnny Carson, Elizabeth Taylor, Hugh Hefner, and more.) In a callback to a similar performance devoted to Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, Midler sings “Wind Beneath My Wings” to Krusty, which is quite the surreal (and unearned) sight.
Appears As Herself In: Season 4’s “Krusty Gets Kancelled”
Jim Parsons
Less than a year after bidding adieu to The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons achieved further geek cred by appearing as himself on The Simpsons for a fun educational-esque video about cryptocurrency.
Appears As Himself In: Season 31's "Frinkcoin"
Dolly Parton
Country music legend Dolly Parton was one of seven different guest stars who voiced themselves for the 1999 episode that aired following Super Bowl XXXIII, including NFL vets Dan Marino and John Madden. (And Rupert Murdoch, because why not?) But as the animated halftime entertainment, Parton is the only one who helped break Homer & Co. out of their stadium cell, so she gets the glory.
Appears As Herself In: Season 10’s “Sunday, Cruddy Sunday”
Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen
Before they turned down reprising the role of Michelle Tanner for Fuller House, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen appeared as themselves for a 2004 ep in quite a savvy way: as the voices beyond the audiobook for Marge’s torrid romance novel The Harpooned Heart.
Appear As Themselves In: Season 15’s “Diatribe of a Mad Housewife”
Yo-Yo Ma
One of the most accomplished cellists in existence, Yo-Yo Ma made his official vocal and musical debut on The Simpsons in 2015, decades after he and co-creator Matt Groening lived in the same Harvard dorm. Yo-Yo Ma had the unenviable task of helping woo Marge's mom for Mr. Burns. The accolade-laden Grammy winner also performed the Simpsons theme song for the closing credits.
Appeared As Himself In: Season 27's "Puffless"
Eartha Kitt
William Daniels provided the voice of Knight Rider's KITT twice on The Simpsons, but here we're talking about the wildly talented singer, actress, and Broadway luminary Eartha Kitt. She appeared in Season 21 as one of Krusty's former wives, who notably didn't make it beyond six hours before getting divorced.
Appeared As Herself In: Season 21's "Once Upon a Time in Springfield"
Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd is the rare celeb who seems to age better than his animated self, and there are multiple versions to look back on. The MCU vet first brought his Rudd-ity to The Simpsons in the faux biographical film Streaming Valor alongside occasional cohorts Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow. He next appeared as a version of himself who wanted little to do with a judgmental Comic Book Guy in an airport.
Appeared As Himself In: Season 25's “Steal This Episode,” Season 32's “Three Dreams Denied,” and as therapist Dr. Zander in Season 22's "Love Is a Many Strangled Thing"
Martha Stewart
Homemaker extraordinaire Martha Stewart showed up as herself, or at least a fantasized version of herself, during Marge's dream sequence in Season 22's segmented Christmas episode. She didn't exactly save the holidays, but then nothing can with this family.
Appears As Herself In: Season 22's "The Fight Before Christmas"
Ringo Starr
One of The Simpsons’ earliest guest stars was also one of its most noteworthy. Ringo Starr was the first of the Beatles to appear as a guest star, as well as the subject of several paintings from Marge’s youth. He specifically chose for his Simpson-ized look to resemble his animated look in the 1968 film Yellow Submarine.
Appeared As Himself In: Season 2’s “Brush with Greatness”
Kylie Jenner
The first member of the Kardashian-Jenner clan to make it into the world of The Simpsons in an official capacity, Kylie Jenner lent her voice for the tech-based segment "Wild Barts Can't Be Token" in the 2023 "Treehouse" installment. Though she appeared alongside Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Fallon, she was the only guest star to provide her own voicework.
Appears As Herself In: Season 35's "Treehouse of Horror XXXIV"
Bob The Drag Queen
Bob the Drag Queen became a household name after he took the grand prize in Season 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race, and then reached a whole other kind of icon status by getting Simpson-ized alongside drag sister Monét X Change in Season 34 for a fabulous final "viral vid" scene depicting a Waffle House faceoff between the pair, which George R.R. Martin watches instead of working on his next book.
Appears As Himself In: Season 34's "My Life as a Vlog"
Alan Moore
Comic book master Alan Moore has built up a reputation as one of the industry’s more prickly creatives, which makes it all the more incredible that The Simpsons not only landed him, but used him for an amusing Watchmen Babies gag two years before Zack Snyder’s Watchman film was released. The ep also featured cameos from another pair of brilliant comic creators in Art Spiegelman and Daniel Clowes.
Appears As Himself In: Season 19’s “Husbands and Knives”
The ever-energetic pianist Little Richard showed up on The Simpsons in all his gloriousness to present Edna with the Teacher of the Year Award. Though not before having to tell Homer to shut up for getting him confused with Prince (and Michael Jackson).
Appears As Himself In: Season 14's "Special Edna"
Judy Blume
Four years before her famed book was adapted into the acclaimed film Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, bestselling author Judy Blume appeared as herself in a vision Lisa has that reignites her appreciation for America. If anyone has the power to inspire one of animation's smartest schoolgirls, it's Blume.
Appears As Herself In: Season 30's "D'Oh Canada"
Adam West
Years before he started voicing himself as the Mayor of Quahog in Family Guy, Adam West appeared as himself at the Springfield car show where Homer buys the snowplow that lends itself to the episode's title. The cameo is a fun one for Batman fans, with the camera angle slowly skewing diagonal in reference to the live-action series' villain shots.
Appears As Himself In: Season 4's "Mr. Plow," and as Batman in Season 14's "Large Marge"
