Intended guest stars

The following is a list of people known to have been intended to guest star on the show, but for whatever reason, did not appear. Reasons include being cut from the episode, rejecting the show, dying before being able to record their part and not being approached, despite being in the initial plans.

Cut or replaced

These guest stars either recorded a role that was cut, or were replaced with another actor.

• James Earl Jones, who later made three guest appearances on the show, was initially lined up to voice Sideshow Bob in "Krusty Gets Busted" before Kelsey Grammer was selected.
• Catherine O'Hara originally recorded the role of Colette in "Flaming Moe's" but the writer's decided her voice didn't fit the character and she was redubbed with Jo Ann Harris.
• Jim Carrey was planned to voice the singing railroad hobo in "Simpsons Tall Tales". However, he did not have time to record the part. Instead, Hank Azaria voiced the character.
• Julie Andrews was planned to voice Shary Bobbins in "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious" but the staff opted to use Maggie Roswell instead.
• Marv Albert was originally going to play Roy Firestone's part as a sports radio host in "Bart Star", but was dropped following sexual assault charges that were made against him around the time the episode was in pre-production. He later appeared "The Burns and the Bees".
• Robby Krieger of The Doors recorded a cameo for the episode "The Great Money Caper", but his part was cut because the writers felt his appearance seemed too forced. The scene was later included in the DVD.
• In the original Fox press release for "Homerazzi" Peter Wolf and Harry Hamlin were announced as guest stars for this episode, but neither appeared.
• Kenneth Branagh was stated by Al Jean as guest starring in "In the Name of the Grandfather", but he did not appear and was replaced in his intended role by Colm Meaney. Kathy Ireland was also listed in the Fox press release as appearing as herself; she appeared but a caption stated she refused to voice herself.
• Isla Fisher's part, Erin Brockovich's role as herself, and Minnie Driver's appearance as a grievance counsellor in The Simpsons Movie were all cut.
• Edward Norton, who previously appeared on the show, had his lines in the movie as the panicky man crushed by the dome re-dubbed by Castellaneta.

Turned down a role

• Sheldon Leonard was first choice for the role of Fat Tony in "Bart the Murderer" but he was unable to take the part.
• Bruce Springsteen rejected what became Sting's part in "Radio Bart". He previously rejected Larry King's role in "One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish", and later rejected the chance to appear in "When You Dish Upon a Star".
• Ryne Sandberg and Carlton Fisk turned down the chance to guest star in "Homer at the Bat".
• Don Rickles rejected a role as himself in "New Kid on the Block" in what was to be the episode's original subplot. Homer was supposed to fight with Rickles after laughing execessively during a performance leading to them attending court. Rickles rejected because he didn't like his portrayal.
• George Takei (although he guest starred before and after) declined to appear as himself in "Marge vs. the Monorail" because he did not want to mock public transport. Leonard Nimoy accepted instead.
• Tom Cruise rejected the part of Tom in "Brother from the Same Planet". Phil Hartman did the voice instead.
• Both Anthony Hopkins and Clint Eastwood turned down the part of the dentist Dr. Wolfe in "Last Exit to Springfield"; Anthony Perkins agreed to voice the character but died before the role could be recorded. Hank Azaria voiced Wolfe instead.
• O. J. Simpson also rejected a part as a panelist on Smartline in "Last Exit to Springfield", a role filled by Dr. Joyce Brothers.
• All the, then-living, ex-Presidents of the United States (Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford) were offered roles in "Krusty Gets Kancelled". Only Reagan responded and he declined.
• The Rolling Stones (although Mick Jagger and Keith Richards later appeared on the show) and Wynonna Judd both turned down a part in "Krusty Gets Kancelled".
• Matt Groening was told that if the restaurant chain Planet Hollywood appeared in an episode, its creators Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone would guest star. The staff wrote it in as the subplot for the episode "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)" but they could not appear and the plot was dropped. Additionally the episode's original script indicates that Robert Goulet's part was written for Wayne Newton and Gerry Cooney's part was written for Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
• Michael Caine turned down what became James Woods' part in "Homer and Apu".
• Richard Simmons wanted to guest star on the show, but rejected the role of the robotic version of himself in "Burns' Heir" because he didn't want to be a robot. The scene was later deleted but appeared in "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular".
• Al Gore was approached to host "Treehouse of Horror V" but he declined. Gore later approached the show in 2000 asking for a guest spot, but they rejected him.
• William Hickey was the first choice for the role of Chester Lampwick in "The Day the Violence Died"; he was replaced by Kirk Douglas. David Brinkley also declined to voice himself in the episode; Castellaneta stood in.
• Courtney Love and Hole declined roles in "Homerpalooza". As did Neil Young and Pearl Jam.
• Bob Dylan rejected a part in "Homerpalooza" and was replaced by Peter Frampton. He was also a possible choice for the Spirit Guide in "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)", but Johnny Cash accepted the part.
• Don King rejected a role in "The Homer They Fall". Paul Winfield appeared as the King-parody character Lucius Sweet instead.
• Sheryl Crow rejected the chance to sing "Can I Borrow a Feeling?" over the end credits of "A Milhouse Divided".
• Quentin Tarantino was also asked to voice himself in "Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious", but rejected the part, objecting to his lines. Dan Castellaneta voiced him instead.
• Bruce Willis (approached for the second time) and Demi Moore rejected the role of the celebrity couple in "When You Dish Upon a Star". They were replaced by Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. According to Christian Roman, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise as well as Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell rejected the role as well.
• Shirley Temple was asked to portray Vicki Valentine, but she told the producers to "F" off.
• Harvey Fierstein was asked to return as Karl in "Three Gays of the Condo" but declined because the script didn't have "that Simpsons twist".
• Jon Bon Jovi rejected what became Jackson Browne's role in "Brake My Wife, Please".
• The writers originally drew up a list of ten British celebrities they wanted to appear in "The Regina Monologues". The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams (a fan of the show) was included in a draft of the script acting as a tour guide and showing some of his relatives around London. Williams had to reject the part due to other engagements. The script also included a role for a musician; the staff had hoped to get David Bowie or Morrissey for the part but nothing came together. David and Victoria Beckham were also originally sought to guest star in the episode, and would be seen bickering on the street. They were dropped after Tony Blair agreed to guest star, and it was deemed that they were not famous enough in the United States and so were not approached.
• Christina Aguilera rejected what became Fantasia Barrino's role in "A Star is Torn".
• Prince was lined up to appear in an unproduced sequel to "Stark Raving Dad" as Leon Kompowsky. Although he initially accepted it transpired that the script he received was not the one written by the staff and Prince refused to appear using the staff's script and so the episode was never made.

Unknown episodes

• William Shatner declined a part at some point during the show's early period. He has been called the first person to reject the show.
• Frank Zappa was set to guest star but became too ill to record a part.
• Robert DeNiro was intended to make an appearance in season 7 or 8 but no appropriate role was found.
• Smokey Robinson rejected a part.
• Bill Clinton rejected the show, as did George W. Bush.
• Kathy Bates rejected a role.
• Gregory Peck rejected a part.
• Tiger Woods rejected a role.