THAT’S THE POINT

Disney+ Proves Point of ‘Simpsons’ Joke by Leaving Out Tiananmen Episode in Hong Kong

A 2005 episode shows the infamous Beijing massacre scene with the sign: “On this site, in 1989, nothing happened.”

In a 2005 episode of The Simpsons—the one in which the family visits China to help Aunt Selma adopt a baby—they stumble across Tiananmen Square, where there’s a sign that reads: “On this site, in 1989, nothing happened.” That satirical joke, about China’s attempts to suppress information about the Tiananmen Square massacre, has once again been proven true with the launch of Disney+ in Hong Kong. According to The Guardian, the Tiananmen episode of The Simpsons is not available on the streaming service in Hong Kong, where it launched this month. It’s not known whether Disney+ decided to remove the episode or if it was ordered to by Chinese authorities. Beijing has been clamping down on dissent in Hong Kong since pro-democracy protests broke out two years ago, and authorities are particularly determined to crack down on events and artwork that keep the memory of Tiananmen alive.