Producers of The Simpsons are speaking out following reports of the ouster of longtime composer Alf Clausen from the show.

“We tremendously value Alf Clausen’s contributions to the Simpsons and he will continue to have an ongoing role in the show,” producers said in a statement provided to Deadline. “We remain committed to the finest in music for the Simpsons, absolutely including orchestral. This is the part where we would make a joke but neither Alf’s work nor the music of the Simpsons is treated as anything but seriously by us.”

It’s not clear what his ongoing role will be.

Fox

The official comment follows an initial report in Variety Wednesday that Clausen had been terminated from the show.

Clausen had been the sole composer for the show since 1990 through the end of the 28th season. The Simpsons used a 35-piece orchestra, which Clausen conducted, enabling the wide variety of musical styles required by the show. The score was recorded weekly for each episode.

Clausen won two Emmys for The Simpsons, in 1997 and 1998, and received another 21 nominations for the show dating back to 1992. In all he received 30 Emmy nominations. He also won five Annie awards, all for The Simpsons.

Clausen has scored or orchestrated music for more than 30 films and TV shows, including Moonlighting, The Naked Gun, ALF and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.