{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Use American English|date=December 2025}} {{Distinguish|Paranormal Activity}} {{Infobox Simpsons episode | image = | caption = | season = 37 | episode = 11 | director = [[Chris Clements (animation director)|Chris Clements]] | writer = Loni Steele Sosthand | production = 37ABF03 | airdate = {{Start date|2025|12|14}} | guests = * [[Lindsay Lohan]] as [[Maggie Simpson]] * [[Jon Lovitz]] as [[Artie Ziff]] * [[Megan Mullally]] as [[Sarah Wiggum]] | couch_gag = The Simpson family celebrates Marge's 39th birthday on the couch with flash forwards of subsequent birthdays until her 43rd birthday. She considers changing her hairstyle but declines because she is afraid. | prev = [[Guess Who's Coming to Skinner]] | next = [[¡The Fall Guy-Yi-Yi!]] }} "'''Parahormonal Activity'''" is the eleventh episode of the [[The Simpsons season 37|thirty-seventh season]] of the American animated television series ''[[The Simpsons]]'', and the 801st episode overall. It aired in the United States on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] on December 14, 2025. The episode was written by Loni Steele Sosthand and directed by [[Chris Clements (animation director)|Chris Clements]].
In this episode, the Simpson family experiences hormonal changes as they grow older. It features guest appearances by actor [[Jon Lovitz]] as his recurring character [[Artie Ziff]], [[Megan Mullally]] as Sarah Wiggum, and [[Lindsay Lohan]] as the future version of [[Maggie Simpson]]. The episode received mixed reviews, with praise for Lohan's performance as Maggie.
The episode was dedicated to the memory of [[Frank Gehry]] who guest starred as himself in "[[The Seven-Beer Snitch]]" and died nine days before the episode premiered.
==Plot== Four years into the future, [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] and [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] are dealing with teenage hormones, with Lisa complaining about her acne, and they are always low on food because Bart eats it all. When Bart wants to drive the car, [[Marge Simpson|Marge]] forbids it after [[Maggie Simpson|Maggie]] mentions that Bart is an irresponsible driver. Driving Lisa to school, Marge tries to encourage Lisa, who has lost confidence in performing, to sing "[[Escape (The Piña Colada Song)]]" with her, and embarrasses Lisa by giving her a package in case she gets her first [[Menstruation|period]].
At [[Luann Van Houten|Luann]]'s house, Marge's friends discuss experiencing [[perimenopause]]. They describe their symptoms before they try [[Botox]], but Marge declines. That night, Marge starts having symptoms. She notices Bart's [[manga]] depicts a robot with large breasts which horrifies her, but [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] says it is better than adult films. When Marge realizes what is happening to her, she fears she is becoming old and becomes irritable hearing her children complain, so Homer takes charge to calm everyone down. After Marge encounters [[Artie Ziff]] who no longer finds her attractive, she desperately has Luann give her Botox, but Lisa catches her and angrily calls her a hypocrite. When Marge finds [[pornographic film|adult films]] on Bart's tablet, she fears he will become someone who objectifies women. As a result, she bans electronic screens from the house. Marge gets [[estrogen]] cream to handle her symptoms. Homer buys a smart refrigerator to quickly buy food when they run out. Impressed, Marge tries to have sex with Homer. When he is unable to perform, [[Dr. Hibbert]] gives him [[erectile dysfunction]] medication which makes him aggressive.
Later, the Simpsons prepare to attend [[Ned Flanders]]' wedding to a woman named Pam with Bart as the videographer and Lisa as the wedding singer. Marge and Lisa continue to argue and Marge says she is struggling with her changes. Lisa counters that she is handling her changes well because she dealt with her first period by herself. When Bart stops Homer from using the smart refrigerator's screen, Marge checks it to find that Bart used it to watch adult films, and destroys it. Due to Marge and Homer's irrational behavior, they have no choice but to let Bart drive. They forget the flowers that Maggie was going to throw as part of her flower girl job, so Marge has her improvise with potato chips at the wedding.
At the wedding reception, an aggressive Homer takes Marge's estrogen to calm himself down, but becomes too emotional as a result and ends up giving a heartfelt toast to Ned, discarding the scathing roast he had planned earlier. Filming the reception, Bart sees a girl he likes and awkwardly talks to her, which relieves Marge's fears for him. She apologizes to Lisa and says she does not have to perform. However, when Marge experiences a [[hot flash]] because Homer used all the estrogen, Lisa sings and plays "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" on a [[Fender Esquire]] on stage for her.
==Production== [[File:Jon_Lovitz_Mercedes-Benz_Carousel_of_Hope_Gala_2014_(cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Jon Lovitz]] guest starred as Artie Ziff.]] This is the sixth future-themed ''Simpsons'' episode.
[[Lindsay Lohan]] guest starred as the future [[Maggie Simpson]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Emily|last=Aslanian|date=December 12, 2025|title=Lindsay Lohan Guest Stars on 'The Simpsons' as Future Maggie (VIDEO)|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/1233766/the-simpsons-exclusive-clip-maggie-lindsay-lohan/|website=[[TV Insider]]|access-date=December 15, 2025}}</ref> [[Jon Lovitz]] returned as a guest star to voice [[Artie Ziff]].<ref name="TFC">{{cite web|url= http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20251119fox14/|title= (SI-3703) "Parahormonal Activity" |website=[[The Futon Critic]]|access-date= December 14, 2025}}</ref> {{-}}
==Release== The episode aired simultaneously in the United States in all time zones at 8:31 PM ET/5:31 PM PT following a special episode of the television series ''[[Universal Basic Guys]]''.<ref name="TFC"/><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20251119fox12/|title= (UBG-213) "Two Marks" |website=[[The Futon Critic]]|access-date= December 14, 2025}}</ref>
==Reception== ===Critical response=== Marcus Gibson of ''Bubbleblabber'' gave the episode an 8.5 out of 10. He liked the episode's examination of common life problems through the lens of the show's characters. He also highlighted Lindsay Lohan's performance as Maggie.<ref>{{cite web|first= Marcus |last= Gibson |date=December 15, 2025|title= Review: The Simpsons "Parahormonal Activity"|url=https://www.bubbleblabber.com/2025/12/review-the-simpsons-parahormonal-activity/ |website=Bubbleblabber|access-date= December 15, 2025}}</ref> Mike Celestino of ''Laughing Place'' wanted the episode to be funnier but liked the scene of Bart driving. He generally disliked flash-forward episodes because he did not like seeing the Simpson family at older ages.<ref>{{cite web|first= Mike |last= Celestino |date= December 14, 2025|title=TV Recap / Review: Marge Has a Middle-Age Meltdown in "The Simpsons" - "Parahormonal Activity" |url=https://www.laughingplace.com/entertainment/simpsons-s37e11-parahormonal-activity-recap-review/ |website= Laughing Place |access-date= December 14, 2025}}</ref>
Marisa Roffman of ''Give Me My Remote'' also highlighted Lohan's performance and the commentary about women's health research. She also liked that Flanders found love again.<ref>{{cite web|first= Marisa |last= Roffman |date= December 15, 2025|title=About Last Night…THE SIMPSONS and BOB'S BURGERS |url= https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2025/12/15/about-last-night-the-simpsons-and-bobs-burgers-7/|website= Give Me My Remote |access-date= December 15, 2025}}</ref> Nick Valdez of ''[[Comicbook.com]]'' ranked the episode number 8 on his list, "Every Episode of The Simpsons Season 37, Ranked Worst to Best." He said, "It's not exactly the best episode we've seen about the future, as it doesn't focus on Bart and Lisa's future, but it fits perfectly with the show's current identity. Each character feels like a natural extension of themselves, and there are plenty of funny sequences, like when Marge destroys her refrigerator. It's an entertaining episode that reveals a point in the timeline with a lot of potential for future storylines, so hopefully it's the first of many more."<ref>{{cite web|last=Valdez|first=Nick|url=https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/list/every-the-simpsons-season-37-episode-ranked-worst-to-best/|title=Every The Simpsons Season 37 Episode, Ranked Worst to Best|date=February 18, 2026|website=[[Comicbook.com]]|access-date=March 14, 2026}}</ref>
===Awards and nominations=== Writer Loni Steele Sosthand was nominated for the [[Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Animation]] at the [[78th Writers Guild of America Awards]] for her script for this episode.<ref>{{cite web|first=Patrick|last=Hipes|date=January 27, 2026|title='Sinners', 'One Battle After Another', 'Hamnet', 'Marty Supreme' Among WGA Awards Film Nominees; 'Pluribus' Tops TV|url=https://deadline.com/2026/01/2026-wga-awards-nominations-list-1236697144/|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=February 6, 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Wikiquote|The_Simpsons/Season_37#Parahormonal Activity|"Parahormonal Activity"}} {{Portal|The Simpsons}} * {{IMDb episode|36431493}}
{{The Simpsons episodes|37}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:2025 American television episodes]] [[Category:The Simpsons season 37 episodes]] [[Category:Television episodes directed by Chris Clements (animation director)]] [[Category:Television episodes about weddings]]