Homie the Clown

"Homie the Clown"
The Simpsons episode
Legs (left) is baffled by the similarities between Krusty the Clown (middle) and Homer Simpson (right). In order to make a clearer distinction between the latter two characters, David Silverman enhanced the lines around Krusty’s eyes and reshaped his beard line.
Episode no.	Season 6 Episode 15
Directed by	David Silverman
Written by	John Swartzwelder
Production code	2F12
Original air date	February 12, 1995 (1995-02-12)
Guest appearances
Dick Cavett as himself Johnny Unitas as himself Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony
Episode features
Chalkboard gag	"Next time it could be me on the scaffolding"[1]
Couch gag	The Simpsons sit down in midair; the couch builds itself on top them.[2]
Commentary	Matt Groening David Mirkin Mark Kirkland David Silverman
Episode chronology
← Previous "Bart's Comet" Next → "Bart vs. Australia"
The Simpsons season 6
List of episodes

"Homie the Clown" is the fifteenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 12, 1995.^[1] In the episode, Homer becomes a Krusty the Clown impersonator, but is mistaken for the real Krusty by the Springfield Mafia. Joe Mantegna returned as Fat Tony, while Dick Cavett and Johnny Unitas guest starred as themselves.

The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by David Silverman. Swartzwelder's script required very little rewriting and Silverman considers this one of the best episodes he has directed. He later used it to help him when directing The Simpsons Movie. One dropped storyline for The Simpsons saw Krusty being revealed as Homer's secret identity and this episode allowed writers to comment upon the similarity of the two characters' design. The episode features references to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Godfather, and The Maltese Falcon.