The Best ‘Simpsons’ Jokes at Fox’s Expense

In all of TV history, no show has taken more shots at its own network than The Simpsons. And, if you ask the writers, no network has deserved it more.

In fact, it’s a well-known facet of Fox’s most enduring comedy series — in The Simpsons’ contract with the network, it’s stipulated that Fox cannot exert any degree of creative control over the series, even when it comes to the show’s choice of targets. As such, the actual creatives on The Simpsons have been flexing their status as Fox’s untouchable money maker for decades by breaking the network’s proverbial balls at every opportunity with delightfully meta digs. Making fun of Fox is a Simpsons running gag that’s almost as old and revered as the opening couch joke — which, coincidentally, is where they’ve made some of their best Fox burns.

With so much to mock about Rupert Murdoch’s (and, later, Disney’s) much-criticized channel, Fox has taken a Kirk Van Houten level of L’s in Simpsons episodes through the years. Here are our favorite Fox jokes in Simpsons history, starting with…