Like a parent telling their child the truth about Santa Claus, we’ve got some bad news: Michael Jackson didn’t actually sing on The Simpsons classic September 1991 episode “Stark Raving Dad”. D’oh!
In an interview with TMZ, Simpsons actress Yeardley Smith (who voices Lisa Simpson) revealed that Sony blocked Jackson from doing any of the singing for Jackson’s character, the large bald-headed mental patient Leon Kompowsky, who actually thought he was Jackson and serenaded Little Lisa with “Happy Birthday, Lisa”. Jackson, who was credited as John Jay Smith, instead handpicked impersonator Kipp Lennon, who also sang for the King of Pop during the miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream.
The news comes just days after the second anniversary of Jackson’s death. Relive “Happy Birthday, Lisa” above and remember a time when the world was good and just.