"Behind the Laughter" is the twenty-second and final episode of the eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 21, 2000. In the episode, a parody of the VH1 series Behind the Music, the Simpsons are portrayed as actors on a sitcom, and their dramatic inner turmoil and struggles are detailed. Told in a mockumentary format, the episode presents a fictional version of how The Simpsons began.
Willie Nelson guest stars as himself
A statue of the title character from The Iron Giant is seen in the episode, an homage to its director Brad Bird, formerly of The Simpsons.
The eleventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons originally aired on the Fox Network in the United States between September 26, 1999 and May 21, 2000, starting with "Beyond Blunderdome" and ending with "Behind the Laughter". With Mike Scully as the showrunner for the eleventh season, it has twenty-two episodes, including four hold-over episodes from the season 10 production line. Season 11 was released on DVD in Region 1 on October 7, 2008 with both a standard box and Krusty-molded plastic cover.
DVD cover featuring Krusty the Clown
Mel Gibson guest starred as himself in "Beyond Blunderdome"
Tim Robbins guest starred in "Grift of the Magi" as Jim Hope
Britney Spears made a guest appearance as herself in "The Mansion Family"