10 Best Simpsons Guest Stars (Who Played Themselves)

Ricky Gervais, like Simon Cowell, has appeared in The Simpsons as both a parody character of himself and as the real deal. The proper Gervais appeared in Angry Dad: The Movie, an episode which also featured Halle Berry and Russell Brand, showing how readily more modern episodes just chuck guest stars in to see what sticks.

While Gervais lands steadily, the other two fly past quickly without being funny or memorable. It’s fair to say that these days, guest stars are more miss than hit.

It’s because Gervais commits so much to the image of himself that his appearance is so brilliant. In his earliest appearance, in an episode he also wrote (Homer Simpson This Is Your Wife), the irritating, pathetic, ridiculous character he plays is precisely that: a character.

In the vein of his famous David Brent character, Gervais can distance himself. When he’s simply guest starring as Ricky Gervais though, he proves he’s just as willing to laugh at himself.

With a long tirade about how he used to be fat and begging for praise for tipping ten dollars - all interrupted by him repeatedly trying to get Helen Mirren’s attention - Gervais is hilariously self deprecating.