Fans of “The Simpsons” rejoice — the longest-running animated television series may one day make it to the big screen, said “Simpsons” producer Mike Reiss on Tuesday night.

“Will there be a ‘Simpsons’ movie? Of course. There was a Scooby Doo movie,” Reiss said. “Will it suck? Again, there was a Scooby Doo movie. Yeah it’s gonna suck pretty hard.”

Sponsored by Hillel Cultural Life, “Mike Reiss: The Simpsons and Other Gentiles I’ve Known,” was the Jewish student organization’s second speaker event so far this year.

About 250 students attended the humor-infused lecture, which was held in Kellogg’s Owen L. Coon Forum at 8 p.m. and was followed by a meet-and-greet reception at the Fiedler Hillel Center.

During his talk Reiss poked fun at the Fox television network, pop star Michael Jackson and the “Family Guy” series and discussed the prevalence of Jews in comedy.

“Am I a Jew?” he asked. “I’m Jew-ish.”

He later added, “I’m not gay but I’m Jewish, which is basically the same. Both gays and Jews have been persecuted for centuries — by their mothers.”

Reiss quickly pointed out that his presentation wasn’t a comedic routine.

“I’m talking about comedy, not doing comedy,” he said. “It’s kind of like the difference between phone sex and real sex.”

As one of the first writers hired to work on “The Simpsons” when it began 16 seasons ago, Reiss now works as both a writer and a producer on the show. He played clips of “The Simpsons” during his lecture, including an episode with Lisa Simpson falling in love with her substitute teacher who was modeled after Reiss.

“One reason I write comedy is because I can’t help myself,” he said. “I’m an ass.”

Reiss, who previously worked on shows such as “Alf” and the animated sitcom “The Critic,” also has published some children’s books, including a Christmas tale involving Santa Claus distributing leftover holiday gifts to Jews.

“It’s kind of a stretch for me because I hate children,” Reiss said.

He also dished on celebrity guest stars who voice characters on “The Simpsons.” Though he said he is not a fan of boy band N’Sync, he gave them credit for being “five of the nicest girls I’ve ever met.”

When a student asked how “The Simpsons” was able to air so much material that most other shows would discard as too obscene, Reiss responded, “It’s Fox,” and recalled a time when the show’s sole censor asked the writers to change a line in the show’s script.

“Please change the phrase, ‘up his ass’ to ‘in his ass,'” he quoted the censor as requesting, and added that the same censor requested the opposite change in another episode a few weeks later.

“The Simpsons” kicked off its newest season on Sunday, with the perpetually young cast of 10-year-old Bart, 8-year-old Lisa, and their bizarre parents, Homer and Marge Simpson. As one of the longest-running shows in television history, “The Simpsons” has sparked a number of copycat series.

“‘The Simpsons’ staff hates the ‘Family Guy,'” Reiss said. “There are some similarities. The dad on ‘Family Guy’ looks like the dad on ‘King of the Hill’ ate the dad on ‘The Simpsons.'”

But Reiss admitted that “The Simpsons” has changed over the years. He said that when viewers comment that the show is not as good as it used to be, he usually responds by saying, “Go fuck yourself.”

“But you’re right, ‘The Simpsons’ isn’t the same as it used to be,” he added.

Zach Galin, president of Hillel Cultural Life, and other board members helped bring Reiss to NU.

“We threw some ideas around and thought Mike Reiss would attract a large crowd and would give a different Jewish perspective on things,” said Galin, a Weinberg sophomore.

“I was sitting in the back and I saw people who were falling over in laughter for most of the event,” Galin added.

Weinberg sophomore Edward Glassman said he attended the event because he loves “The Simpsons” and has watched the show since he was 7 or 8 years old.

“I liked how he seemed to have innate wit and charm,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect because I didn’t know if a writer of comedy could deliver comedy. But he was hilarious.”

Reach Andrea Chang at [email protected].