Arguably the best animated TV show of all time, The Simpsons is responsible for some of TV’s best side characters, all-timer episodes, and countless visual gags over the past 36-plus years. And over the years, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie (and other Springfield residents) have made some wild predictions that ended up coming true in the real and three-dimensional world.
That being said, here are 32 shocking times The Simpsons correctly predicted future events. And yeah, there are some bonkers scenarios on this list…
The Three-Eyed Fish (Season 2)
The three-eyed fish has popped up on The Simpsons multiple times over the years, including way back in the Season 2 episode “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish,” in which Mr. Burns was served the mutated creature for dinner. Well, instead of art imitating life, it was the other way around in 2011 when a group of Argentine anglers pulled up a three-eyed fish, per the CBC.
Disney Buying 20th Century Fox (Season 10)
Around 20 years before Disney pulled off the acquisition of the century by purchasing 20th Century Fox (which included The Simpsons), the show predicted the merger in “When You Dish Upon a Star.” At one point in the Season 10 episode, a sign can be seen listing 20th Century Fox as a division of Walt Disney Co. Talk about a prediction!
Siegfried & Roy Tiger Attack (Season 5)
Years before the Siegfried & Roy show came to an abrupt and tragic ending when Roy Horn was attacked by one of his white tigers, The Simpsons predicted something like that would happen in the Season 5 episode "$pringfield (or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling).” In the episode, Gunter & Ernst (a parody of the Las Vegas duo) were pounced upon by their trusty tigers.
Cypress Hill Playing With The London Symphony Orchestra (Season 7)
Cypress Hill playing with the London Symphony Orchestra seemed like nothing more than some off-the-wall gag when the two groups got together in the Season 7 episode “Homerpalooza.” But that ended up happening nearly 30 years later when the iconic rap group teamed up with the world-renowned symphony for a special concert. Maybe we have Homer to thank.
The Election Of Donald Trump (Season 11)
A Season 11 episode was made to be a riff on Back to the Future, but it ended up predicting our real-life future in a scene where it is revealed that Donald Trump left the country in rough economic shape after his presidency. Years later, we’d have not one Trump term in office but two.
The U.S. Men’s Olympic Curling Victory (Season 21)
Remember when the U.S. Men’s Curling team shocked the world and took home the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics? Well, The Simpsons did it first back in Season 21’s “Boy Meets Curl,” when Homer and Marge pulled off the impossible and won the top prize. However, they didn’t have those righteous mustaches.
Smartwatches (Season 6)
The Simpsons got futuristic in the Season 6 episode “Lisa’s Wedding,” which followed an adult version of the middle Simpson child as a grownup preparing to get married. At one point, Lisa’s fiancé, Hugh Parkfield, can be seen talking into his smartwatch nearly 20 years before they became a big hit in the tech world.
Predicting Super Bowl XXVI (Season 3)
Back before Super Bowl XXVI, The Simpsons predicted that the Washington Redskins (now known as the Washington Commanders) would defeat the favorited Buffalo Bills in the biggest game of the year in Season 3’s “Lisa the Greek.” The very thing happened just weeks later when Washington gave the Bills yet another Super Bowl loss.
JCPenney’s Bankruptcy (Season 18)
In the Season 18 episode “Please Homer, Don’t Hammer ‘Em,” the family walks through a defunct mall and sees a JCPenney’s department store left in ruins. Well, in 2020, more than a decade after the episode’s premiere, CNN reported that JCPenney had filed for bankruptcy in real life.
An Underwater Disaster (Season 17)
The Season 17 episode “Homer’s Paternity Coot” sees the Simpson family patriarch meets his biological father, and together they go on a disastrous underwater journey. More than a decade-and-a-half later, the Titan submersible would tragically implode on the way to see the wreckage of the Titanic.
Covering Up David (Season 2)
Nearly a quarter-century before Deadline reported on a group of Florida parents losing their minds over Michaelangelo’s David, The Simpsons had an episode about it. Back in Season 2, there was a huge fight over the statue when it came to Springfield as part of a traveling exhibit. And this time, it was wearing pants!
A Late Beatles Letter (Season 2)
Way back in Season 2 of The Simpsons, Ringo Starr can be seen responding to fan letters from back in the 1960s. Well, several decades after the episode aired, Paul McCartney responded to a real fan letter that had gotten lost for 50 years. Better late than never, right?
People Stealing Cooking Grease (Season 10)
No marathon binge of The Simpsons would be complete without watching “Lard of the Dance,” a Season 10 episode in which Homer concocts a get-rich scheme that involves stealing and reselling grease. Seem too far-fetched? Over the years, outlets like KDSK in St. Louis, Missouri, have reported on thieves coming in at night to steal restaurants' used cooking oil.
Murder Hornets (Season 4)
The Season 4 episode “Marge in Chains” has a lot of eerie coincidences that would become true years after the fact. One is the “Osaka Flu,” which some could say is a COVID-19 prediction, but the funnier angle is the killer bees that were also present in the episode. You know what else came in 2020? Oh, just murder hornets…
Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Entrance (Season 23)
Lady Gaga’s performance during the Super Bowl LI halftime show in February 2017 was a massive spectacle that kicked off with a wild entrance involving the singer flying with sparklers fixed to her outfit. Well, The Simpsons predicted this in the 2012 episode “Lisa Goes Gaga,” which saw the Oscar winner in a very similar get-up.
Video Chats On Phones (Season 6)
Video-chat technology has appeared all over the place over the years, including The Simpsons Season 6 when an older Lisa is talking to Marge over her phone. The tech would become widespread a couple of decades later, and the rest is history.
The FIFA Corruption Scandal (Season 25)
Years before movies, shows, and documentaries were made about the 2015 FIFA corruption scandal, The Simpsons predicted it. In the Season 25 episode “You Don’t Have to Live Like a Referee,” Homer was tasked with watching over a World Cup game, and during the match, he was bribed by a player. A year later, the international sports body was nearly brought down by one of the biggest scandals in modern sports history.
The Greece Financial Crisis (Season 23)
In the Season 23 episode “Tales from the Public Domain,” Homer is on a news show when the ticker at the bottom of the screen reads, “Europe puts Greece on eBay.” A few years later, Greece (and the EU) was at the center of one of the most prolific and consequential financial crises of all time.
Voting Machine Issues (Season 20)
Ahead of the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, The Simpsons had an episode where Homer tried to vote for Barack Obama, but all of his votes kept going to John McCain. Four years later, something very similar happened. According to NBC News, there were reports of voters casting ballots for Obama going to challenger Mitt Romney instead.
A Horse Meat Scandal (Season 5)
Back in Season 5 of The Simpsons, there was an episode where people were unknowingly being fed “assorted horse parts” in their meals. Well, in 2013, the BBC reported that several people were going to trial after being caught using cheap horsemeat in beef products throughout Europe.
The NSA Spying Program (The Simpsons Movie)
We’ll probably never get a sequel for The Simpsons Movie, which is a shame because the 2007 big-screen affair was a hilarious expansion of the franchise. One of the funniest moments in the movie comes when Marge and the kids joke about the NSA spying on them, only for the train conductor to be revealed as a spy robot. A few years later, Edward Snowden leaked information about the agency doing just that.
The ‘God Particle’ (Season 10)
The Higgs boson, also known as the “God Particle,” was one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the 21st century and perhaps of all time. Well, you know, you kind of, sort of, maybe solved it first? Yep, Homer Simpson. In a Season 10 episode, Homer jots down an equation that was very similar to the one used years later.
Ferrets Sold As Toy Poodles (Season 13)
Years ago, The Simpsons had an episode in which some of Springfield’s criminal underbelly thought it would be a good idea to glue cotton balls to ferrets and pass them off as toy poodles. Surely, no one would fall for that trick, right? RIGHT? Well, that happened in 2013 when The Independent reported on a group tricking customers in Argentina with that very trick.
A Nobel Prize Winner (Season 22)
Bengt Holmström won the Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences in 2016, but The Simpsons predicted it a whole six years earlier. In the Season 22 episode “Elementary School Musical,” Millhouse put Holmström’s name down in the Economics section of his betting pool.
Storming The Capitol Gates (Season 7)
Decades before the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol, The Simpsons had a similar situation in the Season 7 episode “The Day the Violence Died.” In this episode, a group of cartoon bills (like the ones in the School House Rock video) stormed the steps of the capitol building in anger. It was only a small part of the episode, but the similar event would become a piece of American history no one will ever forget.
An Ebola Outbreak (Season 9)
Sure, Ebola has been around for a long time, but after the 2014 outbreak in Africa, we’ve started to notice the disease a whole lot more. So, imagine watching a Season 9 episode of The Simpsons in which Marge reads a book about Curious George and Ebola to Bart as a nighttime book?
The Donut-Shaped Universe (Season 10)
The late Stephen Hawking appeared on The Simpsons multiple times, including the Season 10 episode “They Saved Lisa’s Brain.” In this episode, Homer said the universe was shaped like a donut, a theory that has been discussed in great detail in the years following.
Tom Hanks’ Credibility Speech (The Simpsons Movie)
Tom Hanks showed up in The Simpsons Movie as a way to give the government some legitimacy and the American public peace of mind after the events of the film. Well, who would host the 2021 inauguration video for President Joe Biden? Well, none other than Tom Hanks. Coincidence?
AI Taking Jobs (Season 23)
The Season 23 episode “Them, Robot,” offers a scenario in which Mr. Burns replaces all of his workers with robots with increased AI. Well, except for Homer. More than a decade after the episode aired, fears of AI taking jobs are even more of a fear and potential reality in the very near future.
A Fourth Matrix Movie (Season 15)
Back in Season 15 of The Simpsons, there was an episode in which Homer took the kids to see The Re-Deadening at the local theater. While walking to their auditorium, the family walks by a movie poster for A Matrix Christmas. A fourth movie in the franchise wasn’t out at the time but would arrive in theaters 17 years later with The Matrix Resurrections, which continued the story of Neo.
VR Headsets Taking Over (Season 28)
The Season 28 episode “Specs and the City” predicted a world in which people are attached to their VR headsets, even when leaving the house into the real world. Well, not even a decade later, VR headsets are all over the place, with companies like Meta even offering fully digitized worlds to explore.
Richard Branson… In Space (Season 25)
It was only a matter of time before Richard Branson went to space, and The Simpsons made sure to predict it. In the Season 25 episode “The War of Art,” the billionaire adventurer can be seen lounging in space with his art collection. More than a half-decade later, his Virgin Galactic spaceship took him beyond the confines of Earth’s atmosphere.
