Are the writers time travelers, or are they related to Nostradamus? The Simpsons never disappoints viewers with its eerie Simpsons predictions that ring true years later. The Simpsons family is made up of several characters, but the main characters are Homer (voiced by Dan Castellaneta), Marge (voiced by Julie Kavner), Lisa (voiced by Yeardley Smith), Bart (voiced by Nancy Cartwright), and Maggie. Each episode is filled with the Simpsons family interacting with other residents of Springfield including guest stars that appeared in some episodes on The Simpsons. Yet what intrigues viewers is how some events were predicted by The Simpsons writers at least five years before it happened.
So, what did The Simpsons predict? Could it be that The Simpsons really predicts world events or is the world just following The Simpsons script? With the 35th season of the long-running sitcom currently airing, fans are seeing a return of more creative, powerful, and witty storylines that are reminiscent of the beloved classic Simpsons seasons. There’s no doubt that the wild narratives from more recent seasons will be added to the growing Simpsons predictions list, there’s no telling exactly which ones will come true in the coming years. The best Simpsons predictions aren’t just shocking, they’re also often strange, funny, and somehow make sense all at the same time.
The Simpsons
Release Date December 17, 1989
Seasons 36
Watch on Disney+
30 The Shard
“Lisa’s Wedding” – Season 6, Episode 19 (1995)
Many characters from fan-favorite shows will travel to London for its iconic sights, and The Simpsons is no different. One of these trips comes with a strange prediction, as Lisa’s future is predicted and a flash-forward portrays her meeting with a fellow university student named Hugh Parkfield during a trip to London.
A blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot shows a familiar-looking pointy building behind Tower Bridge, which is recognizable to many London locals and tourists who know it today as The Shard. The only issue? The Shard hadn’t been built yet at the time the episode aired, as it would only start being constructed in 2009, making its spot-on location and silhouette just a few of the weird predictions from this particular 1995 episode. Of course, that may be reading too much into a random building drawn by one of the artists from the show, but it’s fun to see it that way anyway!
29 A Late Letter From The Beatles
“Brush with Greatness” – Season 2, Episode 18 (1991)
In the Season 2 episode “Brush with Greatness,” Marge picks up a paintbrush again for the first time in a long time after learning about the fate of her Ringo Starr portraits. One of the scenes in the episode shows Ringo Starr himself carefully replying to countless fan mail piled all around him, with many having been written several years ago.
This isn’t too far from a real-life event involving Paul McCartney, who replied to two fans from Essex, London in September 2013. This was a response to a letter they sent in 1963, which ended up in a car boot sale. McCartney hilariously wrote back “better late than never” and thanked the fans for their “lovely tape.”
28 Daenerys Targaryen’s Villainous Turn
“The Serfsons” – Season 29, Episode 1 (2017)
Game of Thrones will forever be remembered as a great fantasy show that went downhill and gave its fans one of the worst TV finales ever. One of its most questionable plot points was on The Simpsons before it ever made it on the HBO series. In “The Serfsons,” an episode that parodies Westeros and GoT in general, a dragon burns down the Serfsons’ village after Homer revived it.
This likely reminds most of how Daenerys Targaryen’s Drogon burned King’s Landing in GoT, even after the people had already surrendered. It was an infuriating scene for many fans and critics, and it was only about to get worse, with Daenerys’ villainous turn transforming her arc in the worst way possible.
27 Autocorrect
“Lisa on Ice” – Season 6, Episode 8 (1994)
“Lisa on Ice” sees the brightest Simpson in danger of failing thanks to new “Academic Alerts” that have identified gym class as her weak point. She immediately tries to change this, appealing to her gym teacher and reaching an agreement about joining a sports program outside of class. In the meantime, Martin is, as usual, in danger of bullying.
One scene sees school bullies read a memo to “beat up Martin,” only for the message to be scrambled to read “eat up Martha.” Anyone who’s ever experienced the frustrations of autocorrect can immediately see the parallels here, with the Newton device clearly being a very early version of the iPhone.
26 A Submersible Disaster
“Homer’s Paternity Coot” – Season 17, Episode 10 (2006)
A more recent prediction from The Simpsons became clear earlier this year, when fans made the connection between the Titanic submersible disaster and the episode “Homer’s Paternity Coot.” In the episode, Homer finds a man he thinks is his long-lost father and agrees to venture into the depths of the ocean with him in an attempt to find an old ship. Disaster strikes and Homer gets stuck, but thankfully opens his eyes in a hospital a few days later.
Last June, a real-life submersible carrying five passengers toward the sunken Titanic unfortunately imploded. The expedition to see the wreck dominated conversations around the world, and the tragedy has raised crucial questions about safety regulations and protocols to prevent a similar event from ever happening again.
25 Planning to Block the Sun
“Who Shot Mr. Burns?” – Season 6, Episode 25 (1995)
Image via FOX
When oil is discovered right beneath Springfield Elementary, Mr. Burns ruins any chances of financial gain for Principal Skinner and Superintendent Chalmers, who had started taking suggestions from students and residents about what they should do with their newfound money. Instead, Mr. Burns beats them to drilling the oil and subsequently blocks out the sun with a giant disc so every person in Springfield is forced to use energy from his power plant.
A real-life billionaire, George Soros, recently had a similar idea, but not for the same reason Mr. Burns did. At the Munich Security Conference, Soros suggested using a cloud cover as a sort of shield over the melting Arctic in an effort to reduce global warming. It’s a totally different intention, and actually one worth rooting for.
24 Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s Election
“West Wing Story” – Special Short (2019)
In a special short that takes aim at former President Donald Trump, The Simpsons parodies a song from West Side Story. In the process, it depicts a competition of sorts between Trump and other political figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. While this sing-off thankfully didn’t actually happen in real life, there’s a short scene that bears a shocking resemblance to recent political changes.
Director David Silverman shares the moment on X, recounting how he “set up this kick line for [the] ending,” which shows Trump standing next to a line-up of dancers. One of pair of dancers standing there happens to be President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who weren’t running mates at the time the short aired. Addressing showrunner Al Jean, Silverman continues by asking if the just happened to “predict [the] future again” by creating that scene.
23 A Cybertruck
“Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” – Season 2, Episode 15 (1991)
Does anyone still remember the unfortunate and hilarious “The Homer”? Homer’s $82,000 ridiculous car quickly ruined his half-brother Herb Powell’s lavish life. Meant to cater to every American, Homer’s outlandish ideas end up creating a mess of a car that tries hard to be futuristic, but ends up looking like trash in the process.
It’s a very Homer thing to do in The Simpsons, and one that has surprisingly been mirrored in real life… sort of. This may already sound much like a recently unveiled futuristic car that was met with ridicule. Elon Musk’s Cybertruck may not look anything like The Homer, but the egocentric creation, crappy design, unwarranted anticipation, and major disappointment are more than enough similarities to link the two.
22 The God Particle
“The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace” – Season 10, Episode 2 (1998)
One of the most shocking Simpsons predictions yet, “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace” shows Homer’s attempts at becoming an influential inventor like Thomas Edison. In a small part of the episode, Homer’s seemingly nonsensical writing on a chalkboard reveals itself to be a complex math equation.
Renowned British science writer Simon Singh told The Independent that Homer’s final figure on the chalkboard isn’t too far from the 2012 CERN Higgs boson discovery. “If you work it out, you get the mass of a Higgs boson that’s only a bit larger than the nano-mass of [what] a Higgs boson actually is,” Singh said. “It’s kind of amazing as Homer makes this prediction 14 years before it was discovered.”
21 Malfunctioning Voter Machines
“Treehouse of Horror XIX” – Season 20, Episode 4 (2008)
“Treehouse of Horror XIX” seems to have predicted an electoral mishap related to former President Barack Obama. A brief moment depicts Homer voting for Obama in a booth, but his soon revealed to have been tallied as one for John McCain. Homer is terrified of the machine, which won’t let him exercise his right.
A similar event would occur in 2012, with a viral YouTube video showing an incorrectly registered vote. Instead of the vote in a booth in Pennsylvania being counter for Obama, it appears to have been tallied for Mitt Romney, sparking controversy among the public. Political predictions like this one tend to generate controversy, but for loyal fans, it’s all in good fun.
20 Real Tomacco Plants
“E-I-E-I-D’oh!” – Season 11, Episode 5 (1999)
When Homer sets his eyes on agriculture, wacky disasters follow. Using nuclear ingredients from the power plant, Homer decides to create a mutant hybrid plant in the episode “E-I-E-I-D’oh!” – the result is the not-so-humble “tomacco.” A bizarre combination of the tomato and tobacco plants, the potential to make money from it drives a wedge between Homer and the rest of his family.
Disturbing real-life counterparts emerged around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where deformed vegetables and fruit popped up and looked unsettlingly similar to Homer’s creation. While no one has (thankfully) tried to find a way to make money out of these monstrous mutations, it’s not too far-fetched to imagine less scary versions of these in grocery stores in the future.
19 Accessible Space Travel
“Deep Space Homer” – Season 5, Episode 15 (1994)
“Deep Space Homer” marked an important moment in the show’s history, as aside from featuring some of The Simpsons’ best guest stars – Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and musician James Taylor – the episode also signaled the creators’ willingness to go beyond the realm of possibility (or so they thought).
What seemed like an unrealistic idea at that time – an ordinary man going to space – has since become a common concept, as commercial space flight is something people can look forward to in the not-too-distant future. There have even been “all-civilian spaceflights” in recent years, proving that Homer’s far-fetched experience back then has become the reality for some people today.
18 Smartwatches
“Lisa’s Wedding” – Season 6, Episode 19 (1995)
In the classic season 6 episode of The Simpsons, “Lisa’s Wedding,” there were more than a few jokes about future tech, with only one really getting the future right. The episode showed a brief moment where Hugh talks to his watch, predicting the rise of smartwatches almost two decades before the first one would be introduced to the world.
It’s a fleeting moment that didn’t mean much back then, but highlighted key tech like digital watches and voice recognition that would become commonplace today. Too bad Hugh’s attempts at using the technology to propose to Lisa back then didn’t quite work out as well as he had hoped.
17 Serving Horse Meat
“Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song” – Season 5, Episode 19 (1994)
Never trust the food in Springfield Elementary, as a short gag in “Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song” showcases Lunchlady Doris’ cooking chops (or lack thereof) by revealing the way she casually adds horse meat to the kids’ meals. The idea is hilarious on the small screen, but not so funny in real life.
A report from The Guardian recounts the infamous “horse meat scandal” of 2013, which found 29% of the animal used in Tesco burgers. Millions of “beef” products were pulled from around Europe, and there was understandably public outcry about how the supply chain could have been compromised so horribly.
16 Three-eyed Fish
“Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish” – Season 2, Episode 4 (1990)
Blinky is an essential part of some of the best Simpsons episodes. The three-eyed fish is supposed to be a funny reminder of the horrid effects Burns’ nuclear plant has on the town, mutating flora and fauna like Blinky – a practice that is widely accepted (or ignored) by the residents.
It turns out, Blinky has a real-life counterpart. Over a decade ago, Argentinian fishermen caught a three-eyed wolf fish in a reservoir near a nuclear plant – sound familiar? A ZME report quotes one of the fishermen, who recounts their surprise at finding this “rare specimen.” No mention of Mr. Burns’ counterpart is in the article, though.
15 Baby Translator
“Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?” – Season 3, Episode 24 (1992)
In one of the rare episodes featuring Homer’s half-brother Herb (voiced by Danny DeVito), he manages to invent a never-before-seen device that could make him wealthy beyond his wildest imagination. Herb creates a baby translator, which is able to decode precisely what babies’ babbling means.
Today, there are quite a few “baby translator” equivalents on the app store. Apps like Cry Translator, BabyTalk Translator, and Zoundream are able to approximate what an infant’s cry may mean. They’re not quite as sophisticated as Herb’s, but there’s no doubt the inventor would be proud of his innovation’s far-reaching influence.
14 Censoring Michelangelo’s David
“Itchy & Scratchy & Marge” – Season 2, Episode 9 (1990)
Marge learns a hard lesson about censorship when a slippery slope leads Springfield residents calling for the censorship of Michelangelo’s David. The classic work of art is hilariously covered up with a pair of jeans in an effort to make it more acceptable for the outraged community that won’t tolerate nudity.
Back in 2016, a copy of the statue on display in St. Petersburg sparked controversy, and prompted a vote from citizens who wanted it to be covered up or removed. And just this year, a school in Florida’s decision to deem the statue as too “pornographic” to show to kids has prompted the mayor of Florence, Italy to extend an invitation to the principal to see the statue for herself.
13 Winning the Nobel Prize in Economics
“Elementary School Musical” – Season 22, Episode 1 (2010)
The year’s Nobel Prize winners are announced in the episode “Elementary School Musical,” which shows a confused crowd as Krusty the Clown is declared to have won the Peace Prize. With Homer as his chosen companion, Krusty flies to Oslo for the awards ceremony, only to learn that it was all a trap.
Before the elaborate trap in the Season 22 episode, a freeze gag shows a “Betting Pool” card containing Milhouse’s and other students’ predictions for the Nobel Prize. One of these is Milhouse’s bet for the Nobel Prize in Economics – Bengt R Holmstrom. The Finnish economist would actually go on to win the award six years later, without having to go through what Krusty did for the rest of that episode, of course.
12 Lady Gaga and The Superbowl
“Lisa Goes Gaga” – Season 23, Episode 22 (2012)
Image via 20th Century Fox
One of The Simpsons’ Superbowl episodes included an infamous prediction of a musical artist’s performance, which would not-so-surprisingly come to pass. In the 2012 episode “Lisa Goes Gaga,” Lady Gaga visits Springfield and performs her songs while flying over an audience, and at one point, played the piano during her concert. The episode may have been critically panned, but fans were at least interested in the prediction it contained.
In 2017, Gaga performed at the Superbowl LI Halftime Show performing her greatest hits including “Poker Face,” and “Bad Romance.” During her halftime show performance, Gaga was lifted above the audience, mirroring the Simpsons episode. Later in the show, she also played “Million Reasons,” on the piano.
11 Walt Disney and Fox Merger
“When You Wish Upon a Star” – Season 10, Episode 5 (1998)
Image via 20th Century Fox
In 1998, in the episode “When You Wish Upon a Star,” Homer met Alec Baldwin (voiced by Baldwin) and Kim Basinger (voiced by Basinger) and decided to work for them. Homer suggested an idea for a movie during his phone call to 20th Century Fox executives. The next scene of the episode showed that 20th Century Fox was now owned by Walt Disney.
The scene is now among the infamous things the Simpsons predicted, as in March 2019, Walt Disney announced a $71 billion merger with 21st Century Fox. In 2021, Disney and Fox settled on the streaming rights in terms of the films that Disney would own. In other words, this settled what movies would be solely on Hulu/Disney+ or HBO Max and the deadline for the agreement.