Herb Powell: Homer Simpson's half-brother

CharacterSimpson familyHerb Powell

A CEO in Detroit, a millionaire, a self-made man: Herb Powell had succeeded at everything before finding his biological family. This profile tells how Homer's older half-brother, Abraham's son left as a baby at the Shelbyville orphanage, hands his younger brother a car "for the average American" in "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" (1991): "The Homer", an 82,000-dollar monster with three horns playing "La Cucaracha". Ruin, a return as a homeless man, four appearances up to 2024, Danny DeVito's voice: enough to measure what a brother named Homer costs.

There is one Simpson who made it: a CEO in Detroit, a self-made man, a millionaire — until the day he finds his biological family.

Herb Powell is the show's cruelest demonstration: one Homer was all it took to destroy everything. Here is his profile.

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Who is Herb Powell?

Herbert "Herb" Powell is Homer's older half-brother: same father — Abraham Simpson — but a different mother, a woman met at the carnival and never named in the show. Left as a baby at the Shelbyville orphanage, he is adopted by the Powell family. Now a self-made man, he runs Powell Motors, in Detroit.

👔 Herb went from the Shelbyville orphanage to the CEO's chair at Powell Motors; for your own job interview, our Simpsons ties slip a little yellow wink into your suit.

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The reunion and "The Homer"

Everything changes in the episode "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" (1991). Grampa finally admits that Herb exists, and Homer races off to Detroit. Enthusiastic, Herb puts his brother in charge of designing a car "for the average American", introduces him to his engineers as "the man with the vision" and offers him 200,000 dollars a year. The result, "The Homer", is a monster priced at 82,000 dollars: three horns playing "La Cucaracha", soundproof bubbles for squabbling children, a giant cup holder… Grampa's line, on learning that Herb is a millionaire, sums it all up: "I kept the wrong one."

🚗 Homer loaded "The Homer" with gadgets, from soundproof bubbles to a giant cup holder; behind your own windshield, our Simpsons sun shades simply keep the sun out, for a lot less than 82,000 dollars.

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Ruin, then the comeback

The car ruins Powell Motors. Herb loses his fortune, his house, and delivers to Homer a chilling line: "as far as I'm concerned, I have no brother". As Lisa sums it up, his life was an unclouded success… until he found out he was a Simpson. He nonetheless returns the very next season: homeless, he borrows 2,000 dollars from Homer and makes a new fortune thanks to a baby-language translator. The character has four appearances in all, up to 2024 — and an answering machine message, in 2013, reveals along the way that he is poor again.

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Herb Powell's voice actors

In the original version, Herb is voiced across all four appearances by Danny DeVito — a piece of casting suggested by producer Sam Simon, who had worked with him on the series Taxi. In the French version, he was notably played by Patrick Guillemin in his first appearance.

☕ From 1991 to 2024, Danny DeVito voiced Herb in all four of his appearances; when it's your own voice going hoarse, our Simpsons mugs keep your herbal tea piping hot down to the last sip.

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Summary table

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FAQ

• Who is Herb Powell?
  Homer's older half-brother, son of Abraham Simpson and another woman, who became CEO of Powell Motors in Detroit.
• Why is Herb ruined?
  Because he put Homer in charge of designing a car: "The Homer", priced at 82,000 dollars, sinks his company.
• How many times does Herb appear?
  Four times, from 1991 to 2024 — not twice, contrary to a widespread belief.
• Who voices Herb Powell?
  Danny DeVito in the original version, across all of his appearances.

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Conclusion

Brilliant, generous and mercilessly punished for that generosity, Herb Powell is one of the most tragic and funniest characters in The Simpsons. Proof that in Springfield, success never survives a visit from Homer for long.

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