One of Matt Groening's favorite television shows is California's Gold, a show hosted by the genial Huell Howser. As a result, he knew he just had to include a segment featuring a spoof of the show on an episode of The Simpsons.
He did just that, when "Howell Huser" arrives in Springfield, only to be conned by Bart and Milhouse. He then proceeds to bad mouth the town, causing tourism to drop.
Was Huell offended? Not at all. He relished the parody and offered to provide his very own voice if it were ever needed. Mr. Groening took him up on the offer.
Huell provided his own voice to play himself as a host of a Food Network-style television show. It was a dream come true for both Huell and Matt.
