Longtime ‘Simpsons’ Composer Alf Clausen Sues Fox Over 2017 Firing
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Alf Clausen, who composed the music for “The Simpsons” for 27 years, filed suit against Fox on Monday alleging that he was fired due to his age.
Clausen, 78, was let go in 2017. According to the suit, Clausen was informed that the show was “taking the music in a different direction.”
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“This reason was pretextual and false,” the suit states. “Instead, Plaintiff’s unlawful termination was due to perceived disability and age.”
Clausen scored more than 560 episodes of the show, dating back to 1990. He conducted a 35-piece orchestra, composing songs, cues and innumerable variations on the iconic Danny Elfman “Simpsons” theme. He was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards for his “Simpsons” work, and won twice, for “We Put the Spring in Springfield” in 1997, and “You’re Checkin’ In (A Musical Tribute To The Betty Ford Center)” in 1998.
After he was let go, Clausen was replaced by Bleeding Fingers Music, a music production company co-founded by Russell Emanuel, Hans Zimmer and Steve Kofsky.
The suit states that Clausen’s replacement “was substantially younger in age, who was not only paid less, but was not disabled.”
The suit does not specify Clausen’s disability.
Clausen is represented by Keith D. Griffin of Girardi & Keese and Ebby Bakhtiar of Livingston & Bakhtiar. The suit names Fox, Disney, and James L. Brooks’ Gracie Films as defendants.
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