Waylon Smithers

Waylon J. Smithers Jr., usually referred to as Mr. Smithers or simply Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated sitcom The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer. Smithers first appeared in the episode "Homer's Odyssey", although his voice could be heard in the series premiere "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the consummate executive and personal assistant of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant's owner Mr. Burns. Smithers' devotion to Mr. Burns was inspired from how numerous Fox executives and staff members acted towards Barry Diller. The idea for Smithers' ambiguous sexual orientation came from Sam Simon, who proposed that Smithers should be gay, but little attention should be drawn to it. Smithers' first name (Waylon) was derived from that of puppeteer Wayland Flowers.Smithers was colourized in his first appearance as black with blue hair.Matt Groening, in an interview with TMZ, said that this was a mistake but the producers didn't have enough money to correct it.Smithers is an obedient and sycophantic assistant to Mr. Burns, and the relationship between the two is a frequent running gag on The Simpson