About Bill Oakley
From Emmy-Winning Writer & Showrunner to Culinary Explorer
Bill Oakley is an Emmy-winning writer and producer best known for his iconic work on The Simpsons, where he co-ran the show during its critically acclaimed seventh and eighth seasons. He co-created the cult classic animated series Mission Hill and has contributed to other beloved shows like Futurama and Portlandia. Bill’s cultural impact extends beyond television—he wrote the “Steamed Hams” scene, a segment from The Simpsons that evolved into a viral meme, earning the title of Meme of the Year in 2018 from Know Your Meme.
In recent years, Bill has transitioned from showrunning to the culinary world, where his sharp humor and love for American food have made him a sought-after voice in the industry. A regular contributor to the History Channel’s The Food That Built America and a guest on Afternoon Live, Bill combines storytelling with culinary expertise. His collaborations with prominent chefs like Robert Irvine and J. Kenji López-Alt have further solidified his voice as a notable comic voice in American food culture.
Bill’s many food-related projects include the creation and curation of an American Culinary Curiosity Dinner, a sold-out Portland event celebrating regional American dishes, and partnering with Level Beer to create Steamed Hams Lager, inspired by his Simpsons legacy. Through his food reviews and projects like The Steamie Awards, Bill continues to explore and celebrate the culture and history of American cuisine with wit and insight.
Steamed Hams - A Cult Classic Scene Turned Global Phenomenon
Originally featured in The Simpsons episode “22 Short Films About Springfield,” the “Steamed Hams” segment—written by Bill Oakley—has become a cultural touchstone. This quirky and hilarious exchange between Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers has inspired countless memes, parodies, and tributes, earning it the title of Meme of the Year in 2018.
(For the uninitiated, “Steamed Hams” is a euphemism for “hamburgers”.)
🔗 25 Years Later, ‘Steamed Hams’ Remains The Greatest Meme ‘The Simpsons’ Ever Inspired
🔗 An Oral History of ‘Steamed Hams,’ the Funniest ‘Simpsons’ Scene Ever Recorded
🔗 “Steamed Hams” at 25: ‘Simpsons’ Cast and Crew Attempt to Decipher Classic Moment’s Extraordinary Cult Following
Explore the origins of this iconic moment and its enduring legacy in the video below.
Space: 1972 — The Bigger, Stranger, and Even Funnier Sequel to the Hit Audible Original
Current Work
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Current Work -
Four years in the making, the sequel to Bill’s “Space: 1969” is now available! In an alternate America, JFK survived—and didn't just win the Space Race. He never stopped. Now it's 1972, and his ever-expanding space empire is ripping holes in space-time itself, erasing people, places, and entire histories from existence.
The only ones who might be able to stop him? Nancy Kranick (Emmy nominee Natasha Lyonne), a former moon nurse lying low in Hoboken, New Jersey… and Richard Nixon, tangled in a conspiracy so bizarre it stretches from the Moon to a Shakey's Pizza to a parallel-universe Watergate. As JFK tightens his grip on an Empire of the Stars, Nancy and Nixon must reunite and track down the fragments of a mysterious, reality-warping metal—hidden across space, time, and alternate dimensions—before history is rewritten for good.
A bigger, stranger, and more gloriously off-the-rails sequel to the hit Audible Original Space: 1969. Available in Dolby Atmos on Audible.
Discover More About Bill
