The Simpsons: The Crazy Cat Lady’s Dark & Tragic Backstory Explained

The Simpsons has a very peculiar sense of humor, and amidst all the jokes and laughter, are some tragic backstories, as is the case of the Crazy Cat Lady. Created by Matt Groening, The Simpsons debuted on Fox in 1989 after having its beginning as a series of animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show. Since then, The Simpsons has expanded to other media, most notably comic books and film, and has become the longest-running American scripted primetime television series.

The Simpsons follows the daily adventures of the title family and other notable citizens of Springfield, both friends and enemies of the family. Springfield is full of colorful people, and though there are many that only serve as background characters, the show has given them backstories, most of them quite dark. Such is the case of the Crazy Cat Lady, who is often used as comic relief and can be seen in the background in many episodes, interacting with the main characters from time to time, like when she gave Lisa a cat that looked exactly like Snowball II.

The Crazy Cat Lady’s real name is Eleanor Abernathy, and she made her first appearance in The Simpsons in season 9’s episode “Girly Edition”. However, her backstory wasn’t explored until season 18’s episode “Springfield Up”, when filmmaker Declan Desmond made a documentary about the lives of the people of Springfield and how they have changed over the years. In this episode, it was revealed that when Abernathy was a little girl, she dreamed of becoming a lawyer and a doctor because she firmly believed that women can do anything. She was studying for law school when she was 16, and by 24 she had already earned a law degree from Yale Law School and a medical degree from Harvard Medical School. Eight years later, however, everything went downhill.

When Abernathy was 32, she was burnout, and as a result of psychological exhaustion, she turned to alcohol and became obsessed with her cat. She also began to randomly cut pieces of her hair, and by the time she was 40, she had become the Crazy Cat Lady Springfield now knows and sometimes fears. Abernathy’s story doesn’t end there, and her mental health has been shown to fluctuate all the time. She reverted to her sanity and high intelligence after taking some pills, which Marge later pointed out were Reese’s Pieces candy, sending her back to her deranged behavior. Abernathy has sudden moments of mental stability, and she lucidly discussed topics like health care and economy during the mayoral election. In addition to all that, she has been shown to be a hoarder, and Marge once helped her clean up her house, which prompted a healthy reaction in her, beginning to speak normally and dress properly. However, when she tried to help Marge with her new hoarding problem, she reverted to her unstable self.

The Crazy Cat Lady’s behavior is used for laughs, but her backstory actually sends some red flags about mental health and social pressure. Although The Simpsons has addressed serious topics before, especially in its first seasons, it’s unlikely it will do so with the Crazy Cat Lady, whose mental health will surely continue to fluctuate for the laughs.

About The Author

Adrienne Tyler
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Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. She is an Audiovisual Communication graduate who wanted to be a filmmaker, but life had other plans (and it turned out great). Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. She was also a contributor for FanSided’s BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings.

When she’s not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs!), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Breakfast food is life and coffee is what makes the world go round.

Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. It was great.

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