Waylon Smithers from "The Simpsons" was originally black when he first appeared in the series.

The statement is true. When Waylon Smithers first appeared in "The Simpsons," he was depicted as a black character. Smithers, who is Mr. Burns' loyal assistant, made his debut in the first season of the show. However, the decision to make Smithers a black character was later reconsidered, and the character's skin color was changed to yellow, which is the standard skin color for characters in "The Simpsons." The change was made to avoid potential racial stereotyping concerns. As a result, in subsequent episodes and throughout the series, Smithers has been portrayed with yellow skin like the other characters in the Simpsons universe. The initial decision to depict Smithers as black and the subsequent change in his portrayal reflect the evolution and adjustments made in the early stages of the show.