An end of an era is approaching for The Simpsons. After 25 years at the helm as either the showrunner or co-showrunner of the record-breaking animated sitcom, Al Jean is stepping down from his post. On Sunday, he wrote on X that the next episode on November 2 would be his last “for now,” leaving Matt Selman as the lone showrunner for the foreseeable future. Like past showrunners, he’s almost certain to remain on board as a writer and producer of the show, but it marks a major changing of the guard for the first time since 2001, when he began his most recent tenure as the head of the writing team.

Jean is a Simpsons lifer, originally joining the show in its first two seasons as a writer before being promoted to co-showrunner for Seasons 3 and 4 with Mike Reiss. The duo kicked off what is commonly considered to be the animated juggernaut’s golden age, with classic episodes like “Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington,” “Homer at the Bat,” and “Marge vs. the Monorail” premiering under their watch. Jean and Reiss‘s tenure would end after they left to create their own short-lived animated series, The Critic, and eventually took a deal to create more programs for ABC together. Still, Jean would continue to pen episodes of The Simpsons, eventually returning to Matt Groening‘s series full-time in Season 10 before taking the reins alone in Season 13 and never looking back.

Even if he’s not leaving completely, it’ll nonetheless be a big change for the yellow-skinned family to not be guided by Jean’s hand for once. Opinions on his work have grown mixed over time as the show has declined in critical and audience perception in later seasons, but a lot has been accomplished over his tenure. He’s had to navigate The Simpsons through some seismic shifts, including its transition into HD in 2009 and its move under Disney ownership following the purchase of 20th Century Fox. He was also one of the many writers from the show’s lengthy history to work on the screenplay for The Simpsons Movie, alongside his recent partner, Selman. With the series secured through Season 40, though, there’s still plenty of momentum to keep carrying Homer, Marge, Bart, and Lisa into the future under new leadership.

Al Jean May Be Stepping Back to Focus on a Bigger ‘Simpsons’ Project

The timing of Jean‘s departure is fairly conspicuous, given the recent announcement of a long-awaited sequel to The Simpsons Movie. The residents of Springfield will be returning to the big screen on July 23, 2027, nearly 20 years after the first film graced theaters with an adventure that saw Homer nearly doom, then save the town, and reinforce his bond with his family. Though not confirmed, it’s possible Jean could be stepping back for now to help that project along. Currently, no plot details or confirmation of who is involved in its creation are known, though it’ll undoubtedly feature most of the show’s regular cast, including the voices behind the family, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, and Yeardley Smith.

The Simpsons is currently in the middle of its 37th season on Fox. New episodes air every Sunday and stream afterward on Disney+.

via Collider