Alf Clausen has been fired from The Simpsons after 27 years of providing music for the show. According to Variety, the two-time Emmy winner received a call from Simpsons producer Richard Sakai that said the company was seeking “a different kind of music” and that he would no longer be scoring the beloved animated sitcom.
Clausen has scored more than 560 episodes of The Simpsons, starting early in the 1990-91 season. He is considered to be the most-nominated composer in Emmy history, with a total of 30 nominations overall. In addition to his two Emmy wins, the composer also won five Annie Awards, all for his music for the Fox show.
His last complete score for the series was for the season finale of Season 28. The identity of new composer for the Oct. 1 season premiere is not yet confirmed.
The 76-year-old composer addressed his dismissal on Twitter, writing, “Thank you for all of the support…unfortunately, the news is true…”
Variety reports that speculation about Clausen’s removal involves cost-cutting measures, which have been taking place on the show in recent years despite its massive profits for Fox and executive producer James L. Brooks’ Gracie Films.
Clausen’s use of a 35-piece orchestra every week — something that The Simpsons creator Matt Groening insisted upon from the start of the show – usually costs millions of dollars per year. Danny Elfman’s “Simpsons” theme is expected to remain.
The show’s producers released a joint statement to E! News about Clausen’s firing, saying, “We tremendously value Alf Clausen’s contributions to The Simpsons and he will continue to have an ongoing role in the show. 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.”
The Simpsons season 29 premiers on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. on Fox.
Thank you for all of the support…unfortunately, the news is true… https://t.co/jBQH0b40cz
— Alf Clausen (@TheAlfClausen) August 31, 2017
