Mervin Monroe - Kirk Van Houten

Kirk Van Houten is voiced by Hank Azaria. He is the father of Milhouse, and the remarried husband of Luann Van Houten. He wears glasses just like his son and wife. He first appeared in "Bart's Friend Falls in Love". Kirk has been portrayed as a stereotypical middle-aged male loser and deadbeat dad. Much of his character revolves around his extreme emotional depression after his divorce from his wife Luann. Luann got custody of Milhouse when they divorced, but Kirk has visiting rights and is often seen with Milhouse in later episodes. Kirk suffers from the need to cry all the time after his divorce, even in good times. The Van Houtens remarried in the nineteenth season episode "Little Orphan Millie". In that episode it was established that Kirk is of Dutch and Danish ancestry. Kirk previously served in the U.S. Army, and attended Gudger College. Apparently Kirk's mother is of Greek ancestry, based on the nineteenth season episode "Husbands and Knives". In the episode, Milhouse says, "But that's the money Yiayia Sophia gave me for Greek Orthodox Easter!".

According to Luann, Kirk was not a very good provider, and she had to borrow money from her sister to make ends meet and steal donated clothes from the town's church so she could have a wardrobe. When Luann demands a divorce, Kirk is all too happy to oblige. Unfortunately, he loses his middle-management job at Southern Cracker, a job given to him by Luann's father, as a result. Kirk briefly attempts a career as a singer-songwriter, recording a demo tape of an original song titled "Can I Borrow A Feeling", with mediocre results. Later, he attempts to win Luann back by singing the song to her. Luann does not reciprocate Kirk's feelings, choosing instead to remain with her boyfriend.

Kirk reveals in the episode "I Am Furious Yellow", where he visits his son's school on career day, that he was currently employed as an assistant to the guy who puts fliers under people's windshield wipers. Kirk also had a job standing on the curb holding a sign directing people to a condo development and worked as a scarecrow protecting a soy-bean crop, which resulted in his eye being gouged by a crow. Since being fired from the cracker company, Kirk seems to be unable to maintain a steady job. He once shouted at Luann that she had to keep up the alimony payments she owed him, and he has been seen at the Springfield unemployment office, perhaps suggesting that alimony and unemployment benefits are his only steady sources of income. Kirk was put in jail in the episode "Pranksta Rap" for "kidnapping" Bart which he greatly enjoyed due to him being envied by women and fed three meals a day. In The Simpsons Movie, Kirk is briefly seen attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.