The Simpsons: 10 Most Controversial Moments Ever

3. Portraying Rio De Janeiro As A Crime Infested Hell On Earth

The Simpsons Strong Arms of the Ma
Fox

If the Australia episode wasn’t bad enough, the Simpsons took it even further when they decided to focus on Brazil. The episode, “Blame it on Lisa”, tells us that Lisa had been secretly sponsoring an orphan boy in Rio. A short while ago, she stopped receiving any communication from him, after which she received a video message from the boy, named Ronaldo, about his decision to become a dancer.

The Simpsons then take it upon themselves to go to Rio and found Ronaldo. And that is where the trouble begins. We see a crime ridden version of Rio where no one is safe and everyone appears to get robbed. Homer himself gets kidnapped.

In the end they do find Ronaldo, who uses his dance earnings to help free Homer. Although even that ends on a contentious note when Ronaldo suggests the reason he has money is because he doesn’t have any family who would steal it from him.

This led to a strong condemnation from Brazil, where the tourism board threatened to sue Fox.

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Contributor

After battling Galactus and pinning Hulk Hogan in the main event of Wrestlemania, I've taken a break from living in fantasy worlds, to focus on writing about them. I'm a comic book geek, a wrestling mark, a break dancer, and a scientist. One of those things may not be true.