The Simpsons Just Retired a Fan Favorite After Nearly 30 Years
After nearly 30 years, The Simpsons has closed the tap on one of its most enduring side characters, with Duff Corporation retiring Duffman in the January 4, 2026 episode.
After almost 30 years of 'Oh yeah!', The Simpsons just quietly shut the tap on Duffman. Yep, official. In the January 4, 2026 episode 'Seperance' (Season 37, Episode 13), the show has Barry Duffman swing by the Simpsons' house to say the Duff Corporation is putting the mascot on ice for good.
'The Duff Corporation has, uh, retired that character forever. All the old forms of advertising are now passe. Corporate spokesmen, print ads, TV spots - today's kids can't even sing the jingles.'
So what actually happens in 'Seperance'
The episode is a riff on Apple TV's Severance. Barry Duffman shows up as himself, no cape, no beer hat, and recruits Homer to a new company called EOD - Enthusiasm on Demand. Barry works there now, having walked away from the Duffman gig. The pitch: old-school ads are out, stealth hype is in. As Barry explains it, engineered spontaneity from regular people crushes a thousand dusty 'Where's the beefs?'
Homer gets hired to fake excitement for products, then agrees to a 'seperance' procedure that splits his work self from his home self. It sort of works until it very much doesn't. Barry went through the same thing and admits the whole setup wrecked his life, leaving him wiped out for his family - and, in a very Simpsons joke, a secret second family too.
In one of the weirder turns, Barry panics and drills into his own skull because he thinks he has some mind-control implant. He doesn't. The big reveal: the procedure was mostly cosmetic fluff like teeth whitening and hair plugs.
Barry out of the suit
By the end, Barry undergoes de-severance and gets his full self back. He stays out of costume, which, paired with that retirement speech, strongly implies the show is done with Duffman as an in-universe figure.
Why this matters for longtime fans
Duffman debuted in 1997's Season 9 episode 'The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson' and quickly turned into a reliable pop-in character with exaggerated ad-man bravado and the immortal catchphrase 'Oh yeah!'. Retiring him isn't just a goodbye to a bit player; it's the show winking at how ad culture changed from mascots and jingles to undercover marketing. After nearly three decades, it looks like Duff has finally retired its most enthusiastic employee.