In 2011, he married artist Augustina Picasso, with whom he had been in a relationship for four years. [2], On January 15, 2016, it was announced that Groening was in talks with Netflix to develop a new animated series. The Simpsons (1989-present) Groening was born on February 15, 1954,[3][4] in Portland, Oregon,[5] the middle of five children (older brother Mark and sister Patty were born in 1950 and 1952, while the younger sisters Lisa and Maggie in 1956 and 1958, respectively). [27] He showed his cartoons to the editor, James Vowell, who was impressed and eventually gave him a spot in the paper. [34], Life in Hell became popular almost immediately. He made his first professional cartoon sale of Life in Hell to the avant-garde magazine Wet in 1978. Nowadays, you can't throw a rock at a TV set without hitting an irreverent animated social satire. They had 2 children. Matt Groening received the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime or Late Night Television Program for The Simpsons in the years 1998, 2000 and 2001. The pair married in 1986 and had two sons together namely, Homer (who goes by Will) and Abe, both of whom he occasionally portrays as rabbits in Life in Hell. In 1994, Groening and other Simpsons producers pitched a live-action spin-off about Krusty the Clown (with Dan Castellaneta playing the lead role), but were unsuccessful in getting it off the ground. "[19] He first became interested in cartoons after watching the Disney animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians,[20] and he has also cited Robert Crumb, Ernie Bushmiller, Ronald Searle,[21] Monty Python,[22] and Charles M. Schulz as inspirations. Groening made his first professional cartoon sale of Life in Hell to the avant-garde magazine Wet in 1978. Groening worked at the Reader for six years, as a typesetter, editor, paste-up artist and rock critic. The strip continued to be published in the LA Weekly until 2009, when they were unable to pay Matt Groening anymore. "The success of the show," he has said, "has gone beyond my wildest dreams and worst nightmares.". Deborah Caplan and Matt Groening are divorced after a marriage of 13 years. This show won many Emmy Awards. Groening has received 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, 11 for The Simpsons and 2 for Futurama, and a British Comedy Award due to outstanding contribution to comedy in 2004. Has two sons with Deborah Caplan: Homer Groening (born 1991) and Abe Groening (born 1993). At 39, Mr. Groening still observes many of the customs of the youthful counterculture where he got his start: his hair is longish, his attire runs toward T-shirts and sneakers, and instead of business cards he hands out his phone number on little bits of torn paper. Groening and his wife Agustina Picasso welcomed a baby in May 2013 named Nathaniel Philip Picasso Groening, named after writer Nathanael West. He made his first professional cartoon sale to the avant-garde Wet magazine in 1978. So the story goes, and it has, as they say, legs. [60] Groening said his goal in creating the show was to offer the audience an alternative to what he called "the mainstream trash" that they were watching. liverpool v nottingham forest 1989 team line ups; best crews to join in gta 5. jay chaudhry house; bimbo bakeries buying back routes; pauline taylor seeley cause of death I said, 'It's not going to be like "Blade Runner."' [41] Groening conceived of the idea for the Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office and hurriedly sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family: Homer, the overweight father; Marge, the slim mother; Bart, the bratty oldest child; Lisa, the intelligent middle child; and Maggie, the baby. "He was a deviant.". These days Mr. Groening, who lives in Venice, Calif., tries to stay home one morning a week to write "Life in Hell." Matthew Abraham Groening was born 15 February 1954 in Portland, Oregon, United States to Homer Philip Groening (1919-1996) and Margaret Ruth Wiggum (1919-2013) . And for a guy whose career has been dedicated to skewering television, crass commercialism, "evil billionaire tyrants" (how boss Rupert Murdoch described himself in a cameo on "The Simpsons") and brainless consumers, Groening sure does love his merchandise. [86] He guest-edited Da Capo Press's Best Music Writing 2003[87] and curated a US All Tomorrow's Parties music festival in 2003. But for now, at least, it continues to thrive; it is consistently the most-watched show in its time slot, Thursday at 8 P.M., and is Fox's No. His mission, Groening has said, was to create a sofa-centric sitcom about a typical American family and turn it upside down in retaliation for all the bad TV he watched as a kid. His first cousin, Laurie Monnes Anderson, was a member of the Oregon State Senate, representing eastern Multnomah County. From 1972 through 1977, Groening studied at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, a liberal arts school that Groening described as a hippie college, with no grades or required classes, that drew every weirdo in the Northwest. The /s signifies sarcasm. Lisa is a producer and is famous for her work on Christmas at Pee Wees Playhouse (1988), Arnold Escapes from Church (1988), and The Arnold Waltz (1990). Images of "The Simpsons" have been licensed to sell everything from T-shirts to toys to potato chips to cheese, suggesting that mainstream culture has gotten pretty good at marketing genuine hipness as well. Matthew Abram Groening (/ren/ GRAY-ning; born February 15, 1954)[1] is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. You know, "Meet George Jetson. However, the couple divorced in 1999 after thirteen years of marriage. A few years earlier they had set up their own syndicate, ACME Features, to distribute the strip. He currently serves at The Simpsons as an executive producer and creative consultant. He also co-wrote and produced The Simpsons Movie, released in 2007. Matt and Deborah separated in 1999. "I never saw anything as crude as my stuff getting published," he has said. . A critic of most of what is on television, Mr. Groening sees the popularity of "The Simpsons" as a challenge to the writers and producers who have been inundating America with successive waves of innocuous situation comedies. Eventually, he was finally asked to give up the "music" column. ", "I had a real strong sense of drama as a kid," he said, "and I couldn't believe adults didn't remember what it was like to be a kid. In order to avoid insulting another family member by making him the namesake of a Simpsons character, he left Homer's father unnamed. The strip gained traction after a shift in tone, with Binky becoming less preachy and more of a victim of the cultural and social forces that browbeat dissidents into submission. When Comedy Central began negotiating for the rights to air Futurama reruns, Fox suggested that there was a possibility of also creating new episodes. After that, he married actress Augustina Picasso in 2011, after a four-year relationship. His animated series The Simpsons have won the Primetime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Animated Program for the years 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000,2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2011. In 2013, the couple had a son named . Even to this date, it continues to appear in many other alternative newspapers. Le fils de pre Homer Philip Groening et mre Margaret Ruth est comdien de stand-up, crivain & caricaturiste, anno 2023 clbre pour The Simpsons & Futurama. [29][68] Groening has also pitched "Young Homer" and a spin-off about the non-Simpsons citizens of Springfield. In 2013, the couple had a son named Nathaniel Philip Picasso. In 2002, he won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on Life in Hell. Deborah Caplan-Matt Groening: 68: Aquarius: Cartoonist: American: Children Name Gender Born Age Other Parent; Homer: Male: 1991: 31 years old: Matt Groening: Abe: Male: 1993: 29 years old: Matt Groening: Discussions Have your say Be the first to make a comment >> Recommended Recommended. [85], Groening is known for his eclectic taste in music. Groening named the cartoon family named after his own siblings and parents, albeit with a "Bart" in lieu of a character named after himself. [30] Groening distributed the comic book in the book corner of Licorice Pizza, a record store in which he worked. Deborah Caplan: Groening has been in a relationship with Deborah Caplan since 2006. And they said, 'Don't make it like "Blade Runner"!' He is not. The goal of the company, she told Newsweek, was to "keep the machine of Matt going." Along with mailing the comics to friends and family back in Portland, he attempted to sell his stapled-together books from his record store. His sister Lisa does not play the saxophone. In 2011, Groening married Argentine artist Agustina Picasso after a four-year relationship, and became stepfather to her daughter Camila Costantini. In 2008, Matt Groening won the Annie Award in the Writing in a Feature Production for comedy film The Simpsons movie. [48] When Groening originally designed Homer, he put his own initials into the character's hairline and ear: the hairline resembled an 'M', and the right ear resembled a 'G'. This is likely influenced by the name of Groening's own parents. . [106] Groening received the 2002 National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award, and had been nominated for the same award in 2000. Groening also became a father of twins On June 16, 2018, when his wife Agustina gave birth to Sol Matthew and Venus Ruth, as reported via Instagram. Matt is stepfather to Agustinas daughter, Camille. In the mid-1980s, he moved to Los Angeles and started drawing a comic strip named Life in Hell, whi . 1 program. The world is full of literalists (Elmer Fudds, Mr. Groening would say). Sometime after midnight on the day of his arrival, his car stalled in the fast lane of the Hollywood Freeway in 100 degree heat. (Statements like these, of course, set off fits of right-wing apoplexy, much to the amusement and delight of everyone else. Matt Groening (full Name: Matthew Abram Groening) is a popular American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. [75] Comedy Central commissioned an additional 26 new episodes, and began airing them in 2010. The Simpsons is the longest-running U.S. primetime-television series in history and the longest-running U.S. animated series and sitcom. [72] Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of [his] grown-up life. Over lunch on the 20th Century Fox lot, he tried to dispel a lot of misconceptions about "The Simpsons," about television and about comedy in general. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. In the early days of "The Simpsons," Mr. Groening used to preside over all aspects of production, from scripts to story boards to voice-overs to animation. Though the Tracy Ullman Show was soon cancelled, The Simpsons had gained popularity and earned its exclusive half an hour spin-off series. "Of course, those are all true. They were created when James L. Brooks, the producer of "The Tracey Ullman Show," asked Mr. Groening to create animated segments for the program. Later, he got employed at an alternative newspaper Los Angeles Reader, and here with the support of his supervisor, Matt Groening was able to officially publish Life in Hell as his first comic strip, in 1980. The comic strip Life in Hell was a huge success. For more information, please consult the OP. He then married Argentinian artist Augustina Picasso in 2011, after dating for four years. He gleefully zinged their sensibilities after becoming editor of the school paper, at one point instigating a petition that condemned his satirization of communal life, while also training his ire on mainstream targets like the Washington state legislature. Groening feared that he would have to give up his ownership rights, and that the show would fail and take down his comic strip with it. His television series titled Futurama also earned him the Annie Award for Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production in the years 2010 and 2014, while his other work The Simpsons won the award in this category in the years 2011, 2012 and 2015. [73][29], Since no new Futurama projects were in production, the movie Into the Wild Green Yonder was designed to stand as the Futurama series finale. MATT GROENING would like to tell you a few things about his family: His father, Homer, is not bald. [35][40] In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening with the proposition of working in animation on an undefined future project,[9] which would turn out to be developing a series of short animated skits, called "bumpers," for the Fox variety show The Tracey Ullman Show. In 1987, Groening married fellow Weekly staffer Deborah Caplan. A team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a half-hour series for the Fox Broadcasting Company. "When I was a kid, my friends and I used to put on puppet shows, make comic books, and I decided that's what I wanted to do, to play in every medium," he said. It's my foundation,"[37] the June 16, 2012 strip marked Life in Hell's conclusion. The couple divorced in 1999. The pilot episode of "Futurama" was scheduled to air in the coveted slot between "The Simpsons" and "The X-Files" on Sunday night, and was watched by 19 million viewers. ", See the article in its original context from. Fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening created a new set of characters, the Simpson family. View Matt Groening results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. From this and other joyless jobs, "Life in Hell" was born. Groening's success owes as much to his own work as it does to the work of a slew of others, including co-creators James Brooks and Sam Simon, and "The Simpsons'" writing staff. But he realized that Fox would own whatever characters went on the air. "Futurama" moved away from the family sitcom structure and into dysfunctional workplace territory, a subject that had long inspired Groening. Matt Groening is married to Deborah Caplan in 1986. He rose to fame with the comic strip Life in Hell; and his animated television series The Simpsons. But the short clips were a hit with fans, and producers began exploring a standalone series as Tracey Ullman floundered in the ratings. "[46] He also formed Zongo Comics in 1995, an imprint of Bongo that published comics for more mature readers,[46] which included three issues of Mary Fleener's Fleener[84] and seven issues of his close friend Gary Panter's Jimbo comics. He works as a cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. In the mid '80s, renowned producer James L. Brooks approached Groening about using the characters from "Life in Hell" on a new show he was developing for comedian Tracey Ullman. 3) Disgusted? The Simpsons Movie (2007) Groening's career got a boost in the early 1980s when the L.A. [58], Although The Tracey Ullman Show was not a big hit,[59] the popularity of the shorts led to a half-hour spin-off in 1989. Groening celebrates his birthday on February 15th, every year. He befriended fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry and, finding no real authority to rebel against, he turned to cartooning in earnest. "The Simpsons" has earned Fox's parent company, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., well over a billion dollars, and its role in the network's growth has been incalculable. Quote Of The Day | Top 100 Quotes, See the events in life of Matt Groening in Chronological Order, (Cartoonist, Writer and Producer Known for His TV Series The Simpsons, Futurama and Disenchantment), https://www.dailydot.com/upstream/matt-groening-netflix-in-talks-report/, http://www.technobuffalo.com/2016/01/17/simpsons-creator-matt-groening-in-talks-with-netflix-for-new-animated-series/, http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/matt-groening-netflix-comedy-talks/, http://www.shannonmcclean.com/new-pagemosaics/. In 2009, the show beat Gunsmoke to become the longest-running entertainment show on primetime TV. Television and those who watch it are remorselessly lampooned. 4) Disagreeably damp and jittery? Deborah is a publisher. He found some work along those lines, whipping up slogans for horror movies, but also took on. [64], Like the main family members, several characters from the show have names that were inspired by people, locations or films. Groening's rough-and-tumble early days in Tinseltown provided endless fodder for a comic he titled Life in Hell, featuring the anthropomorphic rabbit Binky. (After 13 years of marriage, Caplan filed for divorce in March 1999, the same month as Groening's second show, "Futurama," premiered. He made a name exploring his own alienation and a fortune exposing the absurdities and hypocrisies of our culture, and nowadays, Groening is as powerful an insider as they come. Spouse/Ex-: Agustina Picasso, Deborah Caplan, siblings: Lisa Groening, Maggie Groening, Mark Groening, Patty Groening, children: Abe Groening, Homer Groening, Nathaniel Philip Picasso Groening, Ancestry: Norwegian American, Canadian American, Notable Alumni: The Evergreen State College, Founder/Co-Founder: Bongo Comics Group, Zongo Comics, The Curiosity Company, Quotes By Matt Groening | Groenings estimated net worth is $600 million. (2002). This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. They had 2 children, Homer (32) and Abe (30). [86][88] He illustrated the cover of Frank Zappa's posthumous album Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute (1996). After attending Evergreen College in Olympia, Wash., Mr. Groening moved to Los Angeles to become a writer, but he didn't really have any idea how to get started. Indeed, the biggest danger the show seems to face is that it will lose its power to surprise. In conversations over two days and several venues -- at a party at his friend Frank Zappa's house, over lunch at the Fox commissary and in his office -- he revealed a deep association with the adolescents who form the core audience of "The Simpsons." Groening was married to Deborah Caplan from 1986 to 1999. After four years the show was cancelled, however, it maintained a strong fan following. He wasn't serious. One of his first employers was an aging B-movie director who needed help both getting around and writing his memoirs. As a third-grader, he entered a short-story contest set up with the premise that a child walks into his attic, bumps his head and then knows what he wants to become when he grows up. Published a month later, the book was an underground success, selling 22,000 copies in its first two printings. Reader through an ever-shifting array of responsibilities that included reporter, distribution manager, punk rock critic and assistant editor. A few years earlier they had set up their own syndicate, ACME Features, to distribute the strip. They said, 'Make it like "The Jetsons"! Life in Hell caught the attention of American producer James L. Brooks. Homer and Abe were their two sons. The couple have two children together: a son, Homer, and a daughter, Maggie. Mr. Groening planned to use the figures from "Life in Hell." However, Matt and Deborah divorced in 1999. creator, Craig Bartlett, who was married to Groening's sister, Lisa, until they divorced in 2015. However, the show's collection of memorable supporting characters and winking, multilayered nods to popular culture, arguably owes more to Simon and the original stable of writers than to Groening. Unlike most shows, which he finds sluggish, "The Simpsons" is written to move at a manic pace. In the 10 years since the debut of "The Simpsons," however, Groening had gone from semifamous alternative cartoonist to iconic powerhouse. [89] In May 2010, he curated another edition of All Tomorrow's Parties in Minehead, England. Matt Groening Futurama [82], In 1994, Groening formed Bongo Comics (named after the character Bongo from Life in Hell[83]) with Steve Vance, Cindy Vance and Bill Morrison, which publishes comic books based on The Simpsons and Futurama (including Futurama Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis, a crossover between the two), as well as a few original titles. He first sold his comic to magazine Wet, in 1978. 1. The show went on to become the longest running US primetime TV series and earn multiple awards. [39], Life in Hell caught the attention of Hollywood writer-director-producer and Gracie Films founder James L. Brooks, who had been shown the strip by fellow producer Polly Platt. After marriage, he became step father to Augustina Picassos daughter Camille. He grew up in Portland and did his schooling from the Ainsworth Elementary School and Lincoln High School. Illustrated commentary for ", Groening, Matt. His work The Simpsons grabbed the Annie Award in the Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Program category for the year 1999. His office at Fox has the frantic clutter of a teen-ager's bedroom. The shorts were spun off into their own series, The Simpsons, which has since aired 742 episodes. I think he kind of wants to prove, maybe to no one but himself, that he can do it without those guys.". Life in Hell comic strips were published in over 250 weekly papers and they were later collated in a series of books titled: School is Hell, Childhood is Hell, The Big Book of Hell, and The Huge Book of Hell. [56], The Simpsons shorts first appeared in The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. Deborah Kaplan is currently available. Netflix has also renewed the series for twenty additional episodes, which are expected to start in ten-episode batches in 2020 and 2021. [45] Groening also has an older brother and sister, Mark and Patty, and in a 1995 interview Groening divulged that Mark "is the actual inspiration for Bart. I may be going to hell, but I did embrace all the stuff -- the T-shirts, the Bart phone, the chess set, all of it.". Acting out in school, he recalled having to write "I must be quiet in class" 500 times on at least one occasion and having his doodles torn up by teachers. The number was later limited to nine spikes, all of the same size. Twenty-four years ago, Groening was just another unrecognized genius driving to Los Angeles in a crummy car with a coat hanger for a radio antenna. This comic book made its official debut as a comic strip in the Reader on April 25, 1980, and caught the attention of Hollywood writer-producer and Gracie Films founder James L. Brooks, who had been shown the strip by fellow producer Polly Platt. In 1987, Groening married fellow Weekly staffer Deborah Caplan. "I judge my life by how miserable it used to be," Groening told an interviewer last year, speaking of his early days as a lowly alternative cartoonist. '", Sharing one inane series of meetings, he told the magazine, "I said, 'Look, I told you "Futurama" is not going to be bland and boring like "The Jetsons." He went through what he described as "a series of lousy jobs," including being an extra in the television movie When Every Day Was the Fourth of July,[25] busing tables,[26] washing dishes at a nursing home, clerking at the Hollywood Licorice Pizza record store, landscaping in a sewage treatment plant,[27] and chauffeuring and ghostwriting for a retired Western director. On the radio, a drunken DJ wept a final farewell to his job. In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening about adapting Life in Hell for animated sequences for the Fox variety show The Tracey Ullman Show. He is from OR. They said, 'It doesn't make any difference!'". It is currently running in its 27th season. In the mid-1980s, he moved to Los Angeles and started drawing a comic strip named "Life in Hell", which eventually became published in the newspaper where he worked. A fan of science fiction, he had been thinking about creating a show about the future for some time. It was reported on January 15, 2016, that Groening was in talks with Netflix to develop a new animated series. There is not much information about Mark. Matt Groening's then-girlfriend, Deborah Caplan, published "Love is Hell" in November 1984 which is a book form of series of relationship-themed "Life in Hell" strips and followed by "Work is Hell" which was also published by her. With a developing cast of characters that included Binky's girlfriend Sheba, his one-eared son Bongo and the gay entrepreneurs Akbar and Jeff, and recurring components like "The 16 Types of Sisters" and "The 9 Secret Love Techniques That Could Possibly Turn Men Into Putty in Your Hands," the minimally drawn but meticulously written Life in Hell found its niche between the underground comics and mainstream fare. Meanwhile, Groening was up to his old tricks of rocking the boat, writing silly reviews of bands based on their publicity photos and even making up phony acts to cover. Many members of the Simpson family are named for members of his own family: Homer, Marge, Maggie, Lisa and Patty. Matts youngest child is named after writer Nathaniel West. Matt Groening is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and director. [102], Groening has made a number of campaign contributions, all towards Democratic Party candidates and organizations. It was Homer, a cartoonist and filmmaker, who showed his precocious son that a career of creative fulfillment was possible. "[46], Maggie Groening has co-written a few Simpsons books featuring her cartoon namesake. He received the Annie Award (for accomplishments in animation) in the Best Animated Television Production category for his series The Simpsons for six years from the year 1992 to 1997. Matt Groening has made appearances in films and documentaries, such as, Comic Book: The Movie (2004), The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005), The Seventh Python (2008) and I Know That Voice (2013). The animated shorts that Groening created were The Simpsons (1989). Matt's paternal grandfather was Abram Arthur Groening (the son of Abraham Groening and Aganetha Klaassen). [51] At the time Groening was primarily drawing in black and "not thinking that [Bart] would eventually be drawn in color" gave him spikes that appear to be an extension of his head. More than just a television hit, "The Simpsons" is also a mass marketing phenomenon: probably not since Mickey Mouse raised his ears has a silhouette appeared on as many paraphernalia as Bart Simpson's crown-roast-shaped head. Futurama (1999-2013) [90] In July 2013, Groening co-authored Hard Listening (2013) with the rest of the Rock Bottom Remainders (published by Coliloquy, LLC).[91]. [97], Matt was the brother-in-law of Hey Arnold!, Dinosaur Train and Ready Jet Go! If you answered no, you are also probably a fan of Matt Groening. Groening and Simon, however, did not get along[59] and were often in conflict over the show;[26] Groening once described their relationship as "very contentious. The network resisted giving Groening the autonomy he needed and plied him with notes. "If I could pay my rent, I was deliriously happy. Anyone can read what you share. [26][32] Vowell also gave Groening his own weekly music column, "Sound Mix," in 1982. Matt Groening's income source is mostly from being a successful Cartoonist. His other role model was cartoonist, Charles Monroe Schulz, who was known for his comic creation Peanuts. Its first ten episodes premiered on the streaming service in August 2018, with the remaining ten episodes of the initial order scheduled to air in September 2019. They divorced in 1999 and Groening married Argentine artist Agustina Picasso in 2011. His Norwegian American mother, Margaret Ruth (ne Wiggum; March 23, 1919 April 22, 2013),[6] was once a teacher, and his Russian Mennonite father, Homer Philip Groening (December 30, 1919 March 15, 1996),[7] was a filmmaker, advertiser, writer and cartoonist. Groening is a guy who lunches with Rupert Murdoch and finds him congenial. [49] Marge's distinct beehive hairstyle was inspired by Bride of Frankenstein and the style that Margaret Groening wore during the 1960s, although her hair was never blue. He is also a father to five more children. Deborah Kaplan Entertainment - Director Why Famous: is an American screenwriter and film director Age: N/A Deborah Kaplan's Relationships (2) Matt Groening Arts - Other Why Famous: The Simpsons and Futurama He also plays the drums in the all-author rock and roll band The Rock Bottom Remainders (although he is listed as the cowbell player), whose other members include Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Scott Turow, Amy Tan, James McBride, Mitch Albom, Roy Blount Jr., Stephen King, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Sam Barry and Greg Iles. [28][29], Groening described life in Los Angeles to his friends in the form of the self-published comic book Life in Hell, which was loosely inspired by the chapter "How to Go to Hell" in Walter Kaufmann's book Critique of Religion and Philosophy. [94] On June 16, 2018, he became the father of twins for a second time when his wife gave birth to Sol Matthew and Venus Ruth, announced via Instagram. The final episode aired on September 4, 2013. He also enjoyed a happy home life, with his dad, Homer, mom, Margaret, and four siblings, including younger sisters Lisa and Maggie. [47], The family was crudely drawn, because Groening had submitted basic sketches to the animators, assuming they would clean them up; instead, they just traced over his drawings. But that's not my point of view.". Life in Hell caught the attention of American producer James L. Brooks. He also invited the off-the-wall submissions of campus cartoonists, finding himself inspired by the original works of fellow undergrad Lynda Barry. He described life in Los Angeles to his friends in the form of the self-published comic book Life in Hell, which became loosely inspired by the chapter How to Go to Hell in Walter Kaufmanns book Critique of Religion and Philosophy.