Yeardley Smith Looks Back On 30 Years of 'The Simpsons'
*By Conor White*
Yeardley Smith has voiced the iconic Lisa Simpson for three decades, and she's still amazed that the show has remained such a massive success for so long.
"I remember reading once that the average life of a sitcom is five years, and that's if you're doing really, really well," "The Simpsons" star told Cheddar in an interview on Monday.
"The Simpsons" premiered on Fox in 1989, after originating as a sketch on "The Tracey Ullman Show". After 651 episodes, it's still going strong.
"I like to say we're halfway through," Smith said, perhaps only half-kidding.
Aside from giving birth to a countless number of memorable characters, the show has become something of a pop culture prognosticator ー predicting everything from the U.S. upsetting Sweden in Men's Olympic Curling, to the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle, to yes, Donald Trump being elected president.
"Well, there's a crystal ball in the middle of the writers' table," she joked. "And they just gaze into it and things come to them."
"It is kind of uncanny," she agreed.
With the production of "The Simpsons" now a "well-oiled machine," as she described it, Smith is now lending her unique voice talents to a new medium ー podcasting.
Alongside longtime friend and fellow actress Zibby Allen (of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."), Smith hosts "Small Town Dicks," a true-crime podcast that looks at the most harrowing crimes in America's small towns, featuring the real detectives who solved the cases.
"People think that in small towns, that it's small-time crime ー like you're rescuing a cat out of a tree or something," she said. But that's not the case.
"These big-time crimes are happening in small town USA with the same level of depravity and reckless and disregard for human life, but with less frequency."
As for "The Simpsons," all good things must come to an end ー even the longest-running series in primetime history.
"We're probably closer to the end than we were, say, 10 years ago," Smith said.
Not that she wants it to end anytime soon.
"I could do this forever," she said.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/yeardley-smith-iconic-voice-of-lisa-simpson-talks-30-years-of-the-simpsons).
'Top Gun: Maverick' making an estimated $156 million domestically for its four-day opening weekend. Daniel Loria, SVP of Content Strategy and Editorial Director at Boxoffice Pro, joins Cheddar News to weigh in on the long-awaited sequel and the summer box office.
The holiday weekend saw Disney+ and Netflix competing head-to-head for streaming views as the Disney behemoth kicked off the unofficial start to summer with its release of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and Netflix responded with the first part of "Stranger Things" Season 4. The streaming giants caught the eye of Wall Street, and Seth Schachner, the managing director at consultancy Strat Americas, joined Cheddar News to break down the heavy hitters. "This is a very tough, competitive game, and I don't see it getting any easier," he said. "I think you'll probably see more consolidation."
The founder and president of Cyborg Mobile Kobie Hatcher has been on a strong trajectory to disrupt his industry with a program called The New Technologists. It's not only meant to address the diversity gap within large tech companies but also help pave the way to transform the lives of young BIPOC students. He joined Cheddar News to talk about how he's working to make a difference with the lack of diversity in tech. “There's truly no lack of talent out there. It's just identifying them and letting them know that, hey, I've been in the tech sector for over 20 years. I see you. I know what you can bring, bring it, we need it," Hatcher said.
Catching you up on the entertainment headlines of the day with "Top Gun: Maverick" soaring up to a record opening at $160.5M, Harry Styles also hitting number one on Billboard with "Harry's House," Netflix released images of Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein in "Maestro," and more.
Constituent service platform Indigov recently raised $25 million in a Series B funding round. Indigov bills itself as a constituent relationship management tool that helps elected officials improve the way they organize, respond to, and engage those they serve. The startup's services are being used by federal, state, and local governments across the country, including the U.S. House of Representatives. Alex Kouts, founder & CEO of Indigov, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The 2022 NBA playoffs are intensifying as four teams vie for an NBA finals berth. Tonight, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors can book their finals ticket with a win over the Dallas Mavericks, while Miami will be feeling the 'heat' tomorrow night, facing elimination against the Boston Celtics.
And with the growing popularity of sports betting, the NBA playoffs offers a potential money-making opportunity for fans. Trysta Krick, host of BetMGM Tonight, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
As the holiday weekend arrives, travelers are bracing themselves for higher gas prices amid the inflation surge, but Robert Sinclair, AAA spokesperson, joined Cheddar News to discuss how the higher costs likely won't hold people back this Memorial Day Weekend. “We're near pre-pandemic levels. Nearly 40 million people are traveling. And of that total, about 35 million will be driving to their destinations," he said.
