The Simpsons: Every Main Character & How Old They'd Be If They Aged In Real Time (2024)

The Simpsons is a long-running animated comedy series that debuted in 1989. The show has been on the air for decades, and while it has changed over time, the one constant is the characters. Since their premiere in 1989, The Simpsons characters have remained ageless throughout the series. In over 30 seasons, the Simpson family and supporting characters haven't aged a single day. As if frozen in time, they appear the same or, in some instances, their ages shift to fit the narrative. One thing is certain, however, had The Simpsons characters aged in real-time, they would look decidedly different today. Here's a look at their respective ages, the sometimes-conflicting canon information on their birth date, and what age they would be as of 2024 if time moved forward normally in their universe.

The Simpsons' series premiere — Season 1, Episode 1, "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" — debuted on December 17, 1989. Before that, they appeared in short sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show starting on April 14, 1987. Using either date as a measuring stick gives them relatively believable birthdays and ages, which can then be used to provide an accurate assessment of how old they would be three decades on. Of course, those details have often changed in the service of a joke or a running gag within a particular episode, and the series itself has made light of its characters' agelessness more than once. What follows is an estimate only, based on the date of the series premiere and subsequent details revealed directly by specific episodes.

Updated on July 23, 2024, by Ajay Aravind: The Simpsons is one of the longest-running TV shows of all time, with 35 completed seasons and 768 episodes under its admittedly crowded belt. The series has been renewed for yet another season, so fans can only wait and see how many years pass before the characters get older. As such, we've updated this article with some more relevant information.

15 Moe Syzslak Is Springfield's Favorite Bartender

Homer's favorite bartender, Moe Szyslak is easily one of the most depressing characters in The Simpsons. Fortune never smiles at him, whether in terms of making it big or finding a relationship — and Bart's prank calls don't make his life any better. Moe's emotional state of mind is best described as disgruntled. Not only does he make cold and callous remarks and threaten customers using a shotgun, but he also regularly whines about how miserable he is all the time. That said, it's clear that even someone as constantly grouchy as Moe can be kind and compassionate occasionally, especially when it comes to Maggie and Lisa.

Unfortunately, there is no clear way to ascertain his date of birth. In Season 13, Episode 5, "The Blunder Years," Homer reveals the time he and his friends found a corpse. As Homer was 12 at the time, and Moe looks around the same age, we can assume that he was born circa 1956, making him around 68 years old in 2024. On the other hand, an early episode revealed that Moe was born on November 24, 1927, which is part of his mysterious backstory and makes him 96 years old in 2024

14 Barney Gumble Is Homer Simpson's Oldest Friend

Barney Gumble's birthday falls on the same date as Hitler's — April 20th — but The Simpsons doesn't have much solid evidence backing his exact age. It's easy enough to extrapolate since Homer and Barney were in school together. In Season 4, Episode 9, "Mr. Plow," a flashback scene explores the early friendship between these two characters. Both Homer and Barney were in early high school, with Barney preparing to take the SATs. He even appears intelligent enough to get into Harvard until Homer introduces him to beer.

Meanwhile, in Season 6, Episode 18, "A Star Is Burns," Barney says, "I'm 40, I'm single, and I drink." This discovery doesn't necessarily clash with Homer's age, especially if there was actual aging across the seasons, as Barney would have been around 33 when the show began. With that in mind, Barney's age in 2024 should be the same as Moe's, around 68 years old. Whatever his age, Barney's addiction to alcohol is sometimes unfairly used as a punchline, even in the episodes where he's trying to get better.

13 Apu Nahasapeemapetilon Has A Computer Science Ph.D

Despite all the criticism justifiably aimed at the stereotypical depiction of Indian immigrants in the US, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a fan-favorite character in The Simpsons. Now the owner of the famous Kwik-E-Mart, Apu has an illustrious academic background. Hailing from West Bengal in Eastern India, Apu has a Computer Science Ph.D. from the Springfield Heights Institute of Technology — although the acronym implies something else entirely.

Apu is best known for his iconic catchphrase, "Thank you, come again," but he also plays a notable role throughout the seasons. This character's age also remains ambiguous. In Season 9, Episode 7, "The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons," Apu is suggested to be 28 years old. Assuming he hasn't aged since the first season, Apu would be around 5 years younger than Homer Simpson, making him 63 in 2024. Interestingly, in Season 7, Episode 5, "Lisa the Vegetarian," Paul McCartney states that The Beatles "met [Apu] in India years ago during the Maharishi days." This would have been in 1968, which makes Apu 16 years older than Homer.

12 Maggie Simpson Is a Perennial Infant

Margaret "Maggie" Simpson is Marge and Homer's youngest child. She is always seen sucking a pacifier or tripping over her baby gown. Although Maggie is a baby, she is quite clever, often helping her father out of hairy situations. Maggie is born seven years after Marge has Lisa. When Homer buys the family their first house, Marge gets pregnant with Maggie. She is assumed to be perennially less than one year old, putting her birthday at either 1986 or 1988, depending on when one determines the series premiere.

Conflicting details in the show itself throw a wrench into that, however. Season 5, Episode 21, "Lady Bouvier's Lover" opens with Maggie's first birthday party. It aired on May 12, 1994, implying that she was born in 1993. That's borne out by Season 6, Episode 13, "And Maggie Makes Three," which aired January 22, 1995, and also sets her birthday in 1993. That would make her 31 in 2024.

11 Lisa Simpson Is The Simpsons Kid Stuck in the Middle

Lisa Marie Simpson is the family's overachiever, perhaps the most intelligent. Her interests include jazz music, which she plays on her saxophone, and upholding her conduct following her morals and beliefs. Her beliefs led her to become a vegetarian, and if she had aged and grown, she could have overcome her stubby fingers to become a famous jazz musician. Several "what if?" episodes depict her possible life as an adult, including a stint as President of the United States.

Lisa starts the series as a 7-year-old, putting her birthday in either 1980 or 1982 by premiere reckoning. In addition, The Simpsons' Season 3, Episode 1, "Stark Raving Dad" depicts her 8th birthday party, with a song sung by a large white man named Leon Kompowsky who believes he's Michael Jackson. That episode first aired September 19, 1991, putting Lisa's date of birth at 1983, and landing her somewhere in her early 40s in 2024.

10 Bart Simpson Is the Family's Eldest Child

Bart JoJo Simpson is the oldest child of Marge and Homer Simpson, and the most mischievous. Bart is quite the little troublemaker, often devising pranksand undermining authority figures. When he's not causing trouble for his principal or annoying his dad, he can be found skateboarding, reading comics, or watching the Krusty The Clown Show. As rambunctious as he is, there's no doubt that Bart cares deeply about his family.

Bart's age is routinely stated as 10: two years older than Lisa, which puts his birthdate at either 1979 or 1977, judging by the premiere. However, Season 3, Episode 12, "I Married Marge," reveals that he was conceived after Homer and Marge took in a screening of The Empire Strikes Back, which opened in late May 1980 and made his date of birth sometime in early 1981. One episode later, "Radio Bart" depicts his 10th birthday. That episode aired in January 1992, roughly matching the details in "I Married Marge."

9 Lenny & Carl Are Homer's Contemporaries

Lenny Leonard and Carl Carlson, Jr. are Homer's best friends and fellow employees at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Lenny and Carl are often seen together at work, at a ballgame, or frequenting Moe's Tavern with Homer. Since the two have known each other since childhood and have been seen in flashbacks together, one can assume they are the same age. The series depicts them as being contemporaries of Homer: somewhere in their mid-30s, which would put them somewhere around 70 years old in 2024 according to the series premiere dates.

Season 16, Episode 7, "Mommie Beerest," shows Lenny with a magazine cover that mentions a "Bloodbath in Laos" which he saved because it was the week of his birth. The cover references Life Magazine's coverage of the Laotian Civil War in 1971, meaning Lenny would have been born the same year. That matches the episode's air date of January 30th, 2005, making him 34 years old at the time and 53 years old in 2024.

8 Waylon Smithers, Jr. Has a Deliberately Vague Age

Waylon Smithers is Mr. Burns's long-time assistant. Although oblivious to his affections, Smithers loves Mr. Burns deeply. His devotion lets him do anything Mr. Burns asks of him, whether he agrees with him. Smithers' age is depicted as being nondescript, and he could be anywhere from his mid-20s to mid-40s when the series begins.

Several episodes have referenced Smithers' age, although none are consistent. In Season 8, Episode 21, "The Old Man and the Lisa," Smithers states that he was born 25 years after the 1929 stock market crash, putting his birthday at 1954, and making him either 33 or 35 when the series begins. Conversely, Season 13, Episode 5, "The Blunder Years," depicts him as a newborn baby when Homer is 12, suggesting that he was born in 1968, to match Homer's birthday in 1956. That would put him in his early 20s when the series begins and 56 in 2024. And a flashback scene in Season 33, Episode 1, "The Star of the Backstage" complicates the question further by showing him as a high school student in 1999, putting his birth date in the early 1980s, and somewhere in his early 40s in 2024.

7 Marge Simpson Is the Family's Beloved Mother

Marge Bouvier Simpson is the matriarch of the Simpson family: a homemaker and full-time mom to her three children, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Marge serves as the voice of reason and the one who tries to reign in the chaos of her household, usually with limited success. Marge's relationship with Homer often fuels the narrative, but she doesn't always play the put-upon housewife. On the contrary, she has been known to indulge herself in all sorts of misadventures.

Homer and Marge are the same age: Season 2, Episode 12, "The Way We Was" depicts them both as seniors in high school in 1974. That matches Homer's stated birthdate of 1956 and lets audiences infer Marge's birthdate as the same year. She'd be either 31 or 33 when the series begins — matching her depicted age throughout the series — and 68 years old in 2024.

6 Homer Simpson Has Shown the World His Driver's License

Homer Jay Simpson is the bumbling patriarch of the Simpson family and one of the most iconic animated characters in television history. He works as an inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, though he probably shouldn't, where he is most often seen sleeping, lazing about, causing havoc, or eating donuts. In his free time, he frequents Moe's Tavern with his friends. He's depicted as lazy, selfish, and rather dim, though he loves his family and can go to great lengths to make them happy.

Homer is depicted as being in his mid-thirties in the series, and the show has confirmed his birth date. Season 4, Episode 16, "Duffless," entails Homer losing his driver's license after failing a breathalyzer test. The license reveals his birthdate to be May 12, 1956, making him 31 or 33 when the series begins, and 68 in 2024. Homer Simpson is going to be around for some more time, though.

5 Krusty The Clown Is an In-World Television Staple

Krusty the Clown, real name Sir Herschel Shmoikel Pinchas Yerucham Krustofsky, hosts The Krusty The Clown Show. He acts as the show's go-to send-up for celebrity narcissism and excess. Suffice it to say, Krusty's age jumps around to fit the story. According to Season 6, Episode 1, "Bart of Darkness," he was starring in The Krusty The Clown Show by 1961, though at that point it was a news-based talk show discussing issues of the day.

Assuming Krusty was in his 20s or 30s at the time of his show's debut, that would place his birth year in the 1930s or 1940s. It would also put him anywhere from his late 40s to early 60s at the time of The Simpsons' premiere. In Season 21, Episode 10, "Once Upon A Time In Springfield," Krusty's age is stated to be 52. The episode aired in January 2010, which made his birth year 1958 — 66 years old in 2024.

4 Principal Seymour Skinner Is a Vietnam Veteran

Walter Seymour Skinner is the Principal at Springfield Elementary School. While struggling to fund his school out of genuine concern for student education, Skinner has to deal with the shenanigans of his most difficult student and nemesis, Bart Simpson. He's often used as a parody of authority figures and is usually depicted as quite clueless about the goings-on in his own school. He's also a veteran of the Vietnam War and periodically deals with PTSD from his experiences there.

In Season 8, Episode 19, "Grade School Confidential," Skinner reveals that he's 44 years old. The episode originally aired in April 1997, which placed his birthdate in 1953. That would make Skinner either 34 or 36 years old at the beginning of the series, and of the right age to have served in Vietnam. If he aged accordingly, he would be 71 years old in 2024.

3 Ned Flanders Is Older Than He Looks

Nedward Flanders Jr. is the goody-two-shoes neighbor of the Simpsons and Homer's worst nightmare (through no fault of his own). He is a deeply religious person who, occasionally seems uptight when faced with adverse situations. Although he is a common annoyance to Homer, Ned Flanders is a genuinely good person and neighbor, offering the Simpsons assistance whenever they need it. His character is intended to demonstrate how genuinely kind and good people can still be annoying.

Ned appears to be a contemporary of Homer and Marge throughout the series, but due to his "clean living," Ned is older than he looks. In Season 10, Episode 10, "Viva Ned Flanders," he mentions that he is 60. The episode aired in January 1999, which means he was almost certainly born in 1938. That would make him a youthful 49 or 51 when the series premiered, and 86 in 2024.

2 Abraham Simpson Is Homer's Crotchety Father​​​​

Abe "Grampa" Simpson is Homer's father. He's often depicted as rambling and befuddled, though he has led an extraordinary life full of wild adventure. That includes service in World War II, which gives some clues as to his age. The rest of the family tends to treat him as a nuisance, but Grampa Simpson is more than happy to rant about his many and constant complaints.

Like Mr. Burns, Abe's exact age fluctuates wildly, compounded by his notoriously faulty memory and the show's willingness to change it in the name of a good joke. It's often mentioned as 83, which puts his birth year at 1904 or 1906 if he begins the series at that age (and likely long dead in 2024). Season 24, Episode 4, "Gone Abie Gone" states that he was 35 when Homer was 6. Applying that to Homer's 1956 birthdate puts Abe's birth at 1927: old enough (barely) to serve in the war, making him 97 years old in 2024.

1 Mr. Burns' Advanced Age Is a Running Joke

Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber Burns owns the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. He is Springfield's wealthiest citizen, using his money and power to do whatever he wants without fear of the authorities. In the long-running animated TV show, Mr. Burns is established as thoroughly evil and absurdly old, which the show often uses as the source of gags. That causes his exact age to fluctuate wildly, depending on the needs of individual episodes.

Season 4, Episode 17, "Last Exit to Springfield," depicts him as a small child in 1909, putting his birthdate at around the turn of the century and making him well over 110 at the youngest in 2024. Season 31, Episode 10, "Bobby, It's Cold Outside," depicts a 1935 flashback to his childhood which sets his birth sometime in the late 1920s or early 1930s. That would put Mr. Burns in his 90s in 2024. On the other hand, he also mentions his birthplace is Pangaea, the supercontinent that hasn't existed for 200 million years.

The Simpsons

TV-14

Animation

Comedy

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The satiric adventures of a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield.

Release Date

December 17, 1989

Cast

Dan Castellaneta , Nancy Cartwright , Harry Shearer , Yeardley Smith , Julie Kavner , Hank Azaria , Pamela Hayden , Tress MacNeille

Main Genre

Animation

Creator

James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu