The episode's portrayal of Rio de Janeiro caused immediate backlash upon its 2002 airing:
Homer is kidnapped by an unlicensed taxi driver and held for a $50,000 ransom in the Amazon rainforest. [S13E15] Blame it on Lisa
The story begins when the Simpson family receives a $400 phone bill for calls to Brazil. Lisa confesses she made the calls to find Ronaldo, an orphan boy she has been sponsoring who has gone missing. The family travels to Rio de Janeiro to search for him, leading to several plot-driven mishaps: The episode's portrayal of Rio de Janeiro caused
The episode lean heavily on tropes, depicting Rio as a jungle overrun by monkeys, colorful rats, and rampant crime. and rampant crime.