No, you are quite right: Smithers is very definitely gay, but very definitely closeted.
Of course, it is all moot. The show, once pegged to knowck off King Cosby, gets about a 3 to 5 in the Nielson's ratings. Less relevant than "The West Wing."
The sorry thing is that it dillutes the syndicated run.
Will Duff's Brewery use the occasion to release its new product, "Big Game Ale"?