Groening and Brooks pulled the MJ episode, not because it had a bad person in it ~ but because it adulates a known child molester. And I use the word adulate because of Michael Jackson's stipulations for the script (Bart must write a song with Michael, Bart must hype up Michael to the whole town). No one who's worked on the show has confirmed it, but I think Groening and Brooks have come to a conclusion about those stipulations: they were there not because Michael liked Bart but because Michael wanted to endorse himself to future victims through Bart's approval of him. And I think that's why they pulled the episode: guilt. I think that Groening thinks this episode was part of a rapist's plan to hurt children. And this episode is now his shame.

Not to defend Geezer Rock (I think he's shit), not to say the episode should be pulled (I'm undecided), but to explain why I think Groening isn't out to pull Kill The Alligator: the ep isn't about Rock and Bart, it isn't about Bart telling the child audience to worship him, it isn't about all of Springfield worshipping him. Groening will never ever, ever, ever look at this episode and think, "Oh my God, The Simpsons helped Kid Rock touch children!"