Payne and Frink joined the writing staff of the animated sitcom The Simpsons in 1998; their first script was the season twelve episode "Insane Clown Poppy", which aired in 2000.
pˈeɪn ænd fɹˈɪŋk dʒˈɔɪnd ðə ɹˈaɪɾɪŋ stˈæf ʌvðɪ ˈænɪmˌeɪɾᵻd sˈɪtkɑːm ðə sˈɪmpsənz ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti ˈeɪt; ðɛɹ fˈɜːst skɹˈɪpt wʌzðə sˈiːzən twˈɛlv ˈɛpɪsˌoʊd "ɪnsˈeɪn klˈaʊn pˈɑːpi", wˌɪtʃ ˈɛɹd ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd.