After nearly three decades and two Emmy wins, Alf Clausen, composer for The Simpsons, has been fired. Variety broke the news on Wednesday. According to the composer, he was fired by the show’s producers because they wanted to go in a new direction and seek “a different kind of music” for The Simpsons.
Clausen has worked on The Simpsons since 1990, in the process scoring more than 560 episodes and collecting 27 Emmy nominations, going on to win twice in 1997 and 1998. He has won a number of Annie Awards for his work on The Simpsons as well.
Considering Clausen’s impressive record and celebrated status, it’s difficult to understand why the show would want to sever its relationship with such a talented composer. Some have speculated that the producers turned to firing Clausen in order to cut costs, as the expenses involved with recording the score can reach into the millions each year. Clausen confirmed the news of his firing on his Twitter account.
The producers offered statement the day after it was announced that Clausen was fired. “We tremendously value Alf Clausen’s contributions to the Simpsons and he will continue to have an ongoing role in the show,” the statement read. “We remain committed to the finest in music for The Simpsons, absolutely including orchestral. This is the part where we would make a joke but neither Alf’s work nor the music of the Simpsons is treated as anything but seriously by us.”
Although Season 29 of The Simpsons is set to premiere on October 1st, it has not yet been announced who will take on the role of composer for the new episodes.