For decades, which celebrity would reject a Simpsons cameo if the jokes were too mean-spirited - there was always a sense of humor attached to the appearances.
In recent years, however, several of these appearances are missing the comedic tone that made other Simpsons guest appearances so iconic. Season 3's "Homer at the Bat" is packed with famous baseball stars of the time, and is considered one of the show's best, and brief scenes featuring the likes of Mark Hamill and three of The Beatles helped cement The Simpsons in television history. In comparison, the episodes featuring Lady Gaga and Elon Musk were panned by both critics and audiences, who felt that the show fawned over the modern guests too much.
Both Gaga and Musk would have made for amusing targets in different ways, due to their eccentricities and public image. By using these elements of their personalities to their advantage, previous guests such as John Waters were able to make historic impact with their appearances, while still allowing themselves to be made fun of. Though The Simpsons wasn't afraid to push the boundaries and have the animated counterparts of celebrities do ridiculous things to fit the nature of the show, they were able to toe the line between respecting the guest's wishes, and staying true to the tone of the show. Although it's unsure if Gaga and Musk asked for a fawning portrayal or if the writers didn't want to risk offending them, the end result was two subpar episodes.
Why The Simpsons' Celebrity Episodes Are Often Duds
The response of the show's characters show that an uncritical portrayal doesn't make for amusing television, as there's nowhere for jokes to be aimed. The celebrity worship is unnatural for The Simpsons, particularly given the limited worldview of many Springfield residents and their hostility towards anything they don't understand. Having the characters idolize both feels lazy, and completely different show to The Simpsons that would occasionally kill off celebrities in their cameos. If the show had treated Gaga and Musk like other celebrities, there would have been potential for some great jokes that might have saved the episodes from being considered two of The Simpsons' worst.
While it's understandable that the writers wouldn't want to offend their famous guests, refusing to make any humor at their expense doesn't work in a show that satirizes American society. There was a lot of potential in the Gaga and Musk appearances, and had they taken place during the show's "golden age," it seems likely these celebrity cameos would have looked a lot different. Previous seasons of the show have proven that elebrity guests on The Simpsons aren't always bad, but the show needs to be willing to make fun of them - albeit in the usually affectionate manner that led to many of the best Simpsons celebrity cameos best jokes.