Bart the Fink

Bob Newhart as himself
Phil Hartman as Troy McClure

"Bart the Fink" is the fifteenth episode of The Simpsons' seventh season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 1996. In this episode, Bart ruins Krusty the Clown's career by accidentally exposing Krusty as one of the biggest tax cheats in American history. Driven to despair, Krusty fakes a suicide in order to start life anew as a sailor; feeling guilty for what he did, Bart convinces Krusty to become a television clown again.

The episode was written by John Swartzwelder and Bob Kushell, and directed by Jim Reardon. American actor Bob Newhart guest starred in it as himself. The episode's title is a play on the 1991 film Barton Fink. Since airing, the episode has received mostly positive reviews from television critics. It acquired a Nielsen rating of 8.7, and was the fifth highest-rated show on the Fox network the week it aired.

After the death of great aunt Hortense, the Simpson family attends a will reading. Each member of the family discovers they will receive $100 to do with as they like. Marge has Bart and Lisa open bank accounts at the Bank of Springfield. Bart is excited with his new checking account, and begins writing checks for his friends. In an attempt to obtain, Krusty the Clown's autograph, Bart slips a check into Krusty's pocket, figuring that he will receive an endorsed copy of it with his monthly bank statement. However, when Bart receives the check, it is endorsed with a stamp instead of a signature. Dismayed, Bart takes the check back to the bank so that they can force Krusty to sign it. Suspicious, a bank teller investigates, and within minutes Krusty is exposed as one of the biggest tax cheats in American history.