12 Times The Simpsons Went Dark

Abe Simpson was not a very good parent to Homer.

Sometimes this is played off for laughs, but throughout the series, we're given small glimpses of just how much of distant and uncaring father Abe could be. First, Homer's mother felt unfulfilled in her role as a housewife and wanted to do more, forcing her to run off without saying goodbye to Homer. Instead of being honest with his son, Abe simply tells Homer she died while he was at the movies.

As a result of struggling as a single parent, Abe resorted to alcoholism and completely ignored his son's actions. Homer would become rebellious and get into constant trouble, sometimes to just get his father's attention. He would even tear Homer whenever he found an opportunity. There's a moment when Homer claims he wants to be the President of the United States and Abe scolded him to the point where Homer felt he wasn't good enough for great things.

Even in adulthood, Abe manages to blurt out that Homer was an accident, saying that he would've been happy if his son was never born. Granted you can make the argument that this was said during a heated argument, but after seeing how Abe was as a father, it could've come a place of actual resentment towards his son.

If you ever wonder where Homer's alcoholism and abuse towards his son comes from, look no further than his own childhood.