Undeniably, one of the greatest animated TV series ever produced, “The Simpsons,” has consistently delivered some of television’s most memorable side characters, iconic episodes, and a multitude of visual jokes spanning more than 36 years. Throughout its long run, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie (and other Springfield inhabitants) have made astonishingly accurate predictions that surprisingly materialized in our three-dimensional reality.
In other words, let me share with you 32 astounding instances where the show “The Simpsons” accurately foresaw future occurrences. Indeed, some of these predictions are quite extraordinary…
The Three-Eyed Fish (Season 2)
On various occasions throughout its run, The Simpsons has featured a three-eyed fish, such as in Season 2’s “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish.” In this episode, Mr. Burns is served this genetically altered creature for dinner. However, the real-life occurrence happened first: in 2011, a group of Argentine fishermen actually caught a three-eyed fish, as reported by CBC.
Disney Buying 20th Century Fox (Season 10)
Approximately two decades prior to Disney’s historic acquisition of 20th Century Fox (home of “The Simpsons”), the show foreshadowed this merger in the episode “When You Dish Upon a Star” from Season 10. In one scene, a sign is visible indicating that 20th Century Fox was a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Now, isn’t it fascinating how they predicted their future owner?
Siegfried & Roy Tiger Attack (Season 5)
Prior to the shocking and unfortunate conclusion of the Siegfried & Roy show, as depicted in Season 5’s “$pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)” episode of The Simpsons, an event similar to that was foreshadowed. In this episode, Gunter & Ernst (a comedic portrayal of the Las Vegas duo) were unexpectedly attacked by their tigers, just like what happened with Roy Horn.
Cypress Hill Playing With The London Symphony Orchestra (Season 7)
In a seemingly absurd combination, Cypress Hill performing alongside the London Symphony Orchestra initially appeared as an amusing joke in the “Homerpalooza” episode of Season 7. However, this unexpected pairing actually came to fruition about 30 years later when the legendary hip-hop group collaborated with the globally acclaimed symphony for a unique concert. It’s possible that we owe this event to Homer’s influence.
The Election Of Donald Trump (Season 11)
In my humble opinion as a film enthusiast, an episode from Season 11 was cleverly modeled after the timeless classic “Back to the Future,” yet it eerily foreshadowed our actual future. There’s a scene where they depict Donald Trump exiting office, leaving the nation in a precarious economic state following his presidency. Fast forward to reality, and surprisingly, we saw not just one Trump term but two. Quite chilling how art can sometimes mirror life!
The U.S. Men’s Olympic Curling Victory (Season 21)
Back at the 2018 Winter Olympics, the U.S. Men’s Curling team made history by clinching the gold medal, surprising everyone worldwide. Interestingly, The Simpsons family beat them to it! In Season 21’s episode “Boy Meets Curl,” Homer and Marge miraculously won first place in curling. However, unlike the real-life champions, they didn’t sport those trendy mustaches.
Smartwatches (Season 6)
In Season 6’s episode “Lisa’s Wedding” of The Simpsons, we see Lisa, one of the Simpson children, as an adult and about to get married. At a certain moment, Lisa’s groom-to-be, Hugh Parkfield, is depicted using a smartwatch, which was shown more than 18 years before they gained widespread popularity in the technology industry.
Predicting Super Bowl XXVI (Season 3)
Before the Super Bowl XXVI, an episode titled “Lisa the Greek” from the show The Simpsons had predicted that the then-named Washington Redskins (now known as the Washington Commanders) would defeat the heavily favored Buffalo Bills in the season’s grand finale. Remarkably, this forecast came true only a few weeks later, as the Redskins handed another Super Bowl defeat to the Bills.
JCPenney’s Bankruptcy (Season 18)
In Season 18’s episode titled “Please Homer, Don’t Hammer ‘Em,” the family strolls through an abandoned mall and encounters a destroyed JCPenney department store. Interestingly, over a decade later, in 2020, CNN reported that in actuality, JCPenney had filed for bankruptcy.
An Underwater Disaster (Season 17)
In “Homer’s Paternity Coot” from Season 17, Homer Simpson, the family head, encounters his biological father for the first time and embarks on a fateful underwater adventure with him. Over a period of more than 15 years, the Titan submersible would suffer a catastrophic collapse during a journey to inspect the remains of the Titanic.
Covering Up David (Season 2)
Approximately twenty-five years prior to Deadline’s coverage of Florida parents causing a stir over Michelangelo’s David, the television series The Simpsons had an episode about a similar incident. In Season 2, there was quite a commotion when the statue arrived in Springfield as part of a traveling exhibit. This time, however, it was adorned with pants!
A Late Beatles Letter (Season 2)
In Season 2 of The Simpsons, Ringo Starr was depicted responding to old fan letters from the 1960s. Interestingly enough, about five decades after a genuine fan letter went missing, Paul McCartney finally responded to it. Better late than never, indeed!
People Stealing Cooking Grease (Season 10)
A thorough marathon viewing of The Simpsons wouldn’t be perfect without catching “Lard of the Dance,” a Season 10 episode where Homer cooks up a money-making scheme by pilfering and reselling grease. Sounds implausible? However, instances like this have been reported in reality; for example, news outlets such as KDSK in St. Louis, Missouri, have documented cases of thieves stealing restaurants’ used cooking oil during the night.
Murder Hornets (Season 4)
In Season 4’s “Marge in Chains” episode, there are several uncanny resemblances to future events. For instance, the “Osaka Flu” could be seen as a premonition of COVID-19, but what makes it amusing is the inclusion of killer bees, much like those that appeared in 2020 – only this time, they were accompanied by murder hornets!
Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Entrance (Season 23)
In a striking display during the Super Bowl LI halftime show in February 2017, Lady Gaga started her performance with an electrifying entrance, where she soared into the air with sparklers attached to her outfit – a scene that was uncannily foreshadowed in the 2012 “Lisa Goes Gaga” episode of The Simpsons, as Lady Gaga appeared wearing a strikingly similar outfit.
Video Chats On Phones (Season 6)
Over time, video-calling technology has become ubiquitous, even making an appearance on “The Simpsons” during Season 6 when a mature Lisa spoke with Marge via her phone. It wasn’t until two decades later that this technology became mainstream, and since then, it has been a significant part of our history.
The FIFA Corruption Scandal (Season 25)
Prior to the creation of films, TV series, and documentaries concerning the 2015 FIFA corruption scandal, “The Simpsons” had already foreshadowed it. In the Season 25 episode titled “You Don’t Have to Live Like a Referee,” Homer was assigned to oversee a World Cup game, during which he was offered a bribe by a player. Remarkably, just a year later, the international sports organization found itself on the brink of collapse due to one of the largest scandals in recent sports history.
The Greece Financial Crisis (Season 23)
In Season 23’s episode “Tales from the Public Domain,” Homer appears on a news program where a ticker scrolls, “Europe auctions Greece on eBay.” A few years after this humorous depiction, Greece found itself at the heart of one of history’s most impactful and significant financial crises alongside the EU.
Voting Machine Issues (Season 20)
As a movie reviewer looking back on history, I can’t help but recall the uncanny parallels between two presidential elections. In the lead-up to the 2008 U.S. election, the iconic animated series The Simpsons had an episode where Homer, in a bizarre twist of fate, found himself repeatedly voting for John McCain instead of Barack Obama. Fast forward four years, and it seemed as if history was repeating itself, albeit in real life. As reported by NBC News, there were instances of voters who intended to cast their ballots for President Obama, only to find that their votes had inexplicably gone to his challenger, Mitt Romney. It’s almost as if the writers at The Simpsons had a crystal ball!
A Horse Meat Scandal (Season 5)
In Season 5 of The Simpsons, an episode depicted a scenario where individuals were unknowingly consuming “various equine parts” as part of their meals. Remarkably, in the year 2013, the BBC reported that numerous individuals faced trials for using economical horsemeat in beef products across Europe.
The NSA Spying Program (The Simpsons Movie)
It’s unlikely we’ll see another installment of “The Simpsons Movie,” which is unfortunate since the 2007 cinematic version was a riotous extension of the series. One of the most humorous scenes in the film occurs when Marge and the kids tease about the NSA spying on them, only to discover the train conductor as a spy robot. Interestingly enough, a few years after the movie’s release, Edward Snowden exposed similar practices by the agency.
The ‘God Particle’ (Season 10)
Did you know that Homer Simpson from The Simpsons might have preempted the discovery of the Higgs boson, often referred to as the “God Particle,” which is considered one of the most significant scientific breakthroughs in the 21st century and possibly ever? That’s right! In a Season 10 episode, Homer wrote down an equation that resembled the one used later on.
Ferrets Sold As Toy Poodles (Season 13)
In the past, an episode of The Simpsons depicted a humorous scenario where crooks in Springfield tried to deceive people by attaching cotton balls to ferrets and selling them as toy poodles. It seemed implausible then, but in 2013, reality mirrored fiction when The Independent newspaper reported a similar scam being carried out in Argentina.
A Nobel Prize Winner (Season 22)
In 2016, Bengt Holmström was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences, a feat that had been foreshadowed six years prior by “The Simpsons.” Specifically, in the Season 22 episode titled “Elementary School Musical,” Millhouse included Holmström’s name among his bets in the Economics category.
Storming The Capitol Gates (Season 7)
Long before the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, an analogous scenario was depicted in “The Simpsons” during Season 7’s episode titled “The Day the Violence Died.” In this episode, a band of animated bills (akin to those from the “School House Rock” video) charged the capitol building with fury. Although it was merely a minor plot point, the likeness would later become an indelible part of American history that will forever be etched in our memory.
An Ebola Outbreak (Season 9)
In simpler terms, although Ebola has been known for quite some time, it’s become more prominent following the 2014 outbreak in Africa. To illustrate this, think of an episode from Season 9 of The Simpsons, where Marge reads a book to Bart at bedtime, and that book happens to be about Curious George and Ebola.
The Donut-Shaped Universe (Season 10)
In various episodes of “The Simpsons”, notably Season 10’s “They Saved Lisa’s Brain”, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking made an appearance posthumously. Within this episode, Homer put forth the idea that the universe resembles a donut, a concept that has sparked much debate in the ensuing years.
Tom Hanks’ Credibility Speech (The Simpsons Movie)
Back in “The Simpsons Movie,” Tom Hanks lent his presence to make the government appear more credible and ease the worries of Americans following the film’s events. Fast forward to 2021, it seems that fate had a special role for him as well – he was chosen to host the inauguration video for President Joe Biden! Could this be just coincidence? I highly doubt it!
AI Taking Jobs (Season 23)
The 23rd season episode titled “Them, Robot” depicts a situation where Mr. Burns automates his workforce with advanced robots powered by artificial intelligence. However, Homer is the one exception. Now, over a decade later, concerns about AI displacing jobs have grown into genuine anxieties about this imminent possibility in today’s world.
A Fourth Matrix Movie (Season 15)
In Season 15 of “The Simpsons,” I remember an episode where Homer took the kids to catch a show titled “The Re-Deadening” at our local cinema. As we made our way to the auditorium, the family stumbled upon a movie poster for an intriguing title – “A Matrix Christmas.” At that time, a fourth installment in the franchise hadn’t been released yet, but it eventually hit the screens 17 years later with “The Matrix Resurrections,” which continued the captivating tale of Neo.
VR Headsets Taking Over (Season 28)
As a movie critic looking back on Season 28’s “Specs and the City,” I can’t help but marvel at how prophetic it was. The vision of a world where individuals were tethered to their virtual reality headsets, even venturing outdoors into the physical world, feels strikingly close to reality today. Fast-forward just a few years, and VR headsets are ubiquitous, with tech giants like Meta providing immersive digital landscapes to traverse. It’s almost as if we stepped straight into the show!
Richard Branson… In Space (Season 25)
It was inevitable that Richard Branson would venture into space, and “The Simpsons” foresaw this. In the Season 25 episode titled “The War of Art,” they depicted Branson casually enjoying space with his art collection. Over five years after this depiction, Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceship actually carried him above Earth’s atmosphere.
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2025-03-27 16:41