Portal:The Simpsons/Selected article/15

Waylon Smithers, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared briefly in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although he could be heard in the The Simpsons series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the consummate executive and personal assistant (and self-proclaimed best friend) of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's CEO Mr. Burns. In many ways, Smithers represents the stereotype of the closeted gay man, and numerous overt allusions and double entendres to his homosexuality are made, though some of the show's producers instead refer to him as a "Burns-sexual".