Recently diagnosed with advanced colon cancer, and given only months to live, Sam Simon, co-creator of The Simpsons and nine-time Emmy winner, is donating his fortune to charities. The 58-year old is unmarried, has no children, and says his family is well taken care of.
Simon left the much loved 'brilliant' and 'mentally unbalanced' animated show in 1993 to work on other projects, but still gets writer and producer credits. The co-creator says the royalties have grown over the last 25 years to 'tens of millions,' annually. Here are some excerpts from a Hollywood Reporter interview with Sam Simon:
Simon: The Simpsons money got bigger and bigger. When I left The Simpsons, no one thought that this thing was going to still be around. It's the cumulative effect. It's like, "Oh my God, 25 years later, and it's still coming in.
Giving is not new for Simon. He had already created a foundation that assists people, and animals, in need. Simon is also an advocate for the environment. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society named one of its four vessels after him. When asked about the recognition he has received for his philanthropy:
Simon: The sort of lifetime achievement stuff that I'm getting now is kind of like Tom Sawyer's funeral because they all know I'm sick. I am getting buildings named after me and awards and stuff. The truth is, I have more money than I'm interested in spending. Everyone in my family is taken care of. And I enjoy this.
When talking about charities in general, Simon alluded that he'd like to see some things change:
Simon: A lot of charities spend a million dollars on a fundraiser to make $15,000. It's a social swirl. They do some great stuff and then -- it's called mission drift. It becomes more about the parties.
Simon was asked: "What change do you want to see in the world?"
Simon: I want medical experiments on animals stopped. They don't do anything, and they don't work. Veganism is an answer for almost every problem facing the world in terms of hunger and climate change. It helps people's health. Meat is the biggest greenhouse gas producer. There's also the cruelty and suffering aspect. When people do meatless Mondays, and when people adopt instead of buying a dog, that's a PETA victory.
When the Hollywood Reporter asked how Simon was feeling that day:
Sam Simon: It's basically one week of chemotherapy on, one week off. It used to be that when I was off, I would bounce back and start feeling good. But I get every possible side effect -- fatigue, nausea -- and the chemo accumulates in your body, so today and tomorrow are, like, my two good days for the month. So I'm feeling pretty good today, and, you know, we shall see.
Read the full interview here.
With many others, I wish him great joy. And I thank him for not only his kindness and generosity, but for helping to lift the human spirit that much higher.