'The Simpsons' fires long-time composer, promise 'ongoing role' moving forward

"The Simpsons" composer Alf Clausen (Fox Broadcasting)

“The Simpsons” might not look very different when it returns for season 29, but it sure might sound different. The long-running animated hit unceremoniously parted ways with it’s highly decorated and long-time composer, Alf Clausen ahead of its Octoer return.

Variety originally broke the news that the two-time Emmy-winning composer had been fired from “The Simpsons” after 27 years of commanding its 35-piece orchestra, which scored score the show each week. According to reports, Clausen received a call from producer Richard Sakai informing him that the show was looking for “a different kind of music” going forward. This sparked speculation that the series was hoping to cut costs and might even do away with the orchestra entirely, which creator Matt Groening reportedly insisted on having from the very beginning.

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Soon after, producers from “The Simpsons” tried to mitigate people’s fears with a statement insisting that Clausen wasn’t out completely.

“We tremendously value Alf Clausen’s contributions to the Simpsons and he will continue to have an ongoing role in the show,” producers said in a statement to Deadline. “We remain committed to the finest in music for the Simpsons, absolutely including orchestral. This is the part where we would make a joke but neither Alf’s work nor the music of the Simpsons is treated as anything but seriously by us.”

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Clausen, 76, has been nominated for a whopping 23 Emmy awards and even took home two. He joined the show in the early days in 1990. According to Entertainment Weekly, he’s the writing mind behind popular “Simpsons” toe-tappers like, “We Do (The Stonecutters’ Song),” “See My Vest,” "We Put The Spring in Springfield," “They’ll Never Stop the Simpsons” and “Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off!”

The last episode scored by Clausen was the season 28 finale.