As star-studded as The Simpsons has been over the years there have been plenty of celebrities that didn’t want anything to do with the show, despite the fact that they’ve been seen as characters on the program at one point or another. Voice actors are a great boon since so many of them are able to mimic the iconic voices of so many different celebrities, but it’s also wise to take note of the fact that one reason that Prince stayed away from the show was due to his feud with Michael Jackson at one point in their careers. The Purple Rain singer and the King of Pop were at odds back in the day and it’s fair to say a lot of fans were picking sides left and right, but when it came to The Simpsons, Jackson didn’t hesitate to make his way to the recording studio, while Prince didn’t even bother, preferring to keep his distance as his character was played out anyway. One has to remember that even the opportunity to guest star on a TV show that was already incredibly popular and was only getting better wasn’t something that would continue to guarantee a person’s reputation. And to be fair, Prince didn’t really need it since his reputation has been pretty solid for a long time, and even now, after his passing a while back, people are still professing their love and dedication to the singer and his legacy. Many do the same for Jackson, but the argument that can be raised for who’s the more popular and who has had more of an effect on the fans is always up for debate.
As far as appearing on The Simpsons, Prince wasn’t the only celebrity that was invited to the show that said no, as several former presidents refused, George Takei said no, OJ Simpson refused, as did Clint Eastwood, Jim Carrey, Anthony Hopkins, and several others. It would appear that being on The Simpsons isn’t considered a wise move or as much of an honor as people might be led to think since if so many distinguished actors feel that it’s not worth their time or that there’s too much of an issue to get past certain episodes it’s easy to think that the show might have done or said something that the actors didn’t agree with. Prince didn’t want to play second to Jackson, that’s one thing to take away from his refusal since it’s not hard to imagine given how much they didn’t like each other at one point. It might sound silly to some folks, but in their business, it was quite serious and wasn’t something that Prince was willing to compromise on. There are still plenty of feuds in the industry today and it’s not likely that some of them are ever going to go away, but to think that a person might lose out on roles because they can’t get along with others feels like something that might hearken back to high school. But if anyone has been paying attention throughout the years, the celebrities can be every bit as petty as high school students and they can be just as nonsensical when it comes to working with one another.
The intention isn’t to slam Prince of Jackson, but instead to point out that those that people tend to idolize are still human and as such are prone to failures that have more to do with being sensible, kind human beings rather than successful individuals. In this manner though it’s fair to say that those who have denied the show their presence likely have their own reasons, just as those who make their way onto these shows have a reason for being there in the first place. Prince made his choice and that was that, and while the reason for refusing to be on the show was likely a little childish it’s easy to think that things might have gone worse had he agreed to come on the show and thus cause a problem that couldn’t be easily diffused. The feud might have only grown worse at that time had he said yes, so staying away was probably the right move. It’s easy to say that The Simpsons didn’t suffer for the lack of Prince’s voice talents, especially since they’ve had a revolving door policy when it comes to who gets to star on the show for an episode or two. It might be something that people figured that Prince missed out on, but in the long run, it’s likely best that he stayed away along with so many others since his career didn’t need the minuscule boost that the show might have offered. Overall, Prince’s absence on the show didn’t cause any major problems and before his passing, and even after it, Prince has remained one of the most loved artists of all time.
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