and Lisa, who had disliked Gabbo from the start, decide to try to help Krusty. Bart sneaks into the studio and secretly records Gabbo referring to children of Springfield as "SOBs", which damages his reputation. After visiting Krusty and seeing photos of him with a series of celebrity friends, Bart and Lisa suggest that he host a comeback special. They begin recruiting major celebrities to appear on Krusty's special: Bette Midler, Johnny Carson, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hugh Hefner, and his half-brother Luke Perry. They also try to recruit Elizabeth Taylor, but her agent declines the invitation before they can speak to her. Bart and Lisa then help Krusty get back into shape before the special airs; this is necessary because, for health, he has been drinking a lot of milkshakes, not knowing that they should have been diet milkshakes. Krusty tries to tempt his former partner Sideshow Mel, who is now working in a fast food restaurant, into rejoining for the comeback special, but Mel declines because of all the physical abuse that Krusty has subjected him to. Krusty's comeback special features his surprise reunion with Sideshow Mel, Perry getting shot out of a cannon, the Red Hot Chili Peppers singing "Give It Away" in their underwear, Carson lifting a 1987 Buick Skylark over his head, Hefner playing "Peter and the Wolf" on a glass harp, and Krusty and Midler singing "Wind Beneath My Wings". The show is a great success and Krusty's career gets back on track. While watching the special at home, Taylor remarks to herself that she should fire her agent. Afterwards, everyone heads to Moe's Tavern for an after party, where they toast Krusty and watch Carson as he plays the accordion while balancing Grampa and Jasper on a bench on his head. Production The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and directed by David Silverman. The idea of The Krusty the Clown Show being canceled was pitched by writer John Swartzwelder. The rest of the writers decided this would be an opportunity to include a group of celebrity guest stars. They had done a similar episode the year before called "Homer at the Bat" (which starred nine Major League Baseball players) and had hoped to emulate its success. At that point, the writers had a list of celebrities who had wanted to do a guest spot on the show and decided to use