Throughout its 768 episodes and 35 seasons on television, “The Simpsons,” the longest-running American animated program, It has made eerily accurate predictions about the future. Whether the authors are using a crystal ball or whether it is just a fun coincidence remains a matter of debate. For believers: another coincidence (or prediction) has come to light.
After President Biden ended his re-election campaign on Sunday, paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic nominee, X-rated users were quick to recall the uncanny resemblance between an outfit worn by Harris and Lisa Simpson.
In the 2000 episode “Bart to the Future,” the animated show jumps to a future where Lisa is the first female president of the United States. She is seen addressing the nation while wearing a purple suit with her signature pearl necklace and pearl earrings.
Kamala Harris to be sworn in as vice president in 2021.
(Andrew Harnik/AP/Pool)
At Biden and Harris's 2021 inauguration, the vice president wore a nearly identical purple coat with a similar necklace and matching pearl earrings. The Simpsons writer and executive producer Al Jean played up the theory in X, writing that the Harris-Lisa connection is the prediction he is “proud to be a part of.”
The world will have to wait until November to see if President Lisa Simpson has set the stage for President Kamala Harris.
Some fans also insist that “The Simpsons” predicted the Biden-Harris ticket in 2019, with the duo standing side by side among all the Democratic nominees.
Let's take a look at some of the best predictions from the animated classic.
Trump’s presidential and re-election campaign: “Bart to the Future” (2000)
In the same Season 11 episode, “Bart to the Future,” Lisa is the successor to President Trump (as discussed during a cabinet meeting). Trump is shown to be a “reformist” third-party candidate who won the election, just as he did in 2016.
Jean also shared an image from a 2015 episode where a “Trump 2024” campaign sign can be seen in the background, correctly predicting that Trump would run for reelection in 2024.
Super Bowl champions… three years in a row: “Lisa the Greek” (1992)
After a football bet goes wrong, Homer turns to Lisa for help picking the winner of the upcoming game. When she correctly predicts the Miami Dolphins, Homer begins betting even more on future games. The duo have a fight before the Super Bowl and Lisa doesn't tell Homer who the winning team is.
The show, which premiered just days before Super Bowl XXVI, shows the Washington Commanders defeating the Buffalo Bills. And, sure enough, Washington won the trophy during the actual game.
The following year, the same episode aired featuring the Super Bowl XXVII teams. The updated episode shows the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Bills, which actually happened.
The Simpsons writers tried their luck again the following year and predicted that the Cowboys would beat the Bills again. And they were right.
U.S. Curling Wins Olympic Gold Medal: “Boy Meets Curl” (2010)
When this Season 21 episode first aired, only one U.S. curling team had ever won a medal at the Olympics. In “Boy Meets Curl,” Homer and Marge discover their talent for curling and, along with Agnes and Seymour Skinner, qualify for Team USA at the Vancouver Olympics.
Despite being new to the sport, the team beats Sweden and gives the United States its first gold medal. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, no American team placed in the top three. The U.S. team also failed to win a medal at the 2014 Sochi Games. At the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, the U.S. losing streak ended and the men's team finally took gold.
The FIFA corruption scandal and the world champion: “You don’t have to live like a referee” (2014)
With the 25th season episode focusing on football, “The Simpsons” creative team once again found itself inadvertently playing sports oracle — this time with a bit of drama.
In “The Simpsons,” corruption spirals out of control at FIFA, resulting in the arrest of the vice president of world soccer’s governing body. At the same time, the real-world FIFA was under investigation by the FBI and IRS. In 2015, it was revealed that the organization accepted more than $150 million in bribes.
The organization faced accusations of bribery, fraud and money laundering, and police ultimately made 41 arrests.
Of course, the “Simpsons” idea of a scandal at FIFA was not entirely unexpected. In 2011, a member of the executive committee was found guilty of accepting bribes and was expelled from the organisation. The following year, the ethics committee launched an internal investigation into allegations of corruption.
The Simpsons episode also shows a World Cup final between Germany and Brazil, in which Germany emerges victorious. The two teams met in the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup, and as depicted on The Simpsons, Germany beat Brazil. Germany also won the World Cup, as the show predicted.
Bengt Holmström wins the Nobel Prize: “Elementary School Musical” (2010)
In the Season 22 premiere, “Elementary School Musical,” Milhouse and Lisa go all-in on the Nobel Prizes. Milhouse chooses Finnish economist Bengt Holmström to take home the economics prize.
Six years later, the real Holmström won the Nobel Prize in Economics for contract theory.
Video calls and smart watches: “Lisa’s Wedding” (1995)
This sixth season episode takes “The Simpsons” into the future: the year 2010. The concept of a future episode gives the show’s writers the perfect opportunity to make some predictions, and they got two major ones right.
During the episode, a grown-up Lisa calls Marge via video chat. While video calling technically existed in the 20th century, it wasn't accessible to the average person.
Appropriately, Apple announced the first version of FaceTime in 2010.
The technological prophecies didn't end there. Lisa's fiancé is seen speaking through her watch, similar to today's smartwatches. In 2013, the show's device finally came true when Intel unveiled a watch with voice recognition capabilities.
COVID-19: “Marge in Chains” (1993)
When Springfield residents demand a cure for a disease called “Osaka Flu” that is taking over the town in this Season 4 episode, a character throws over a box labeled “Killer Bees.” Seventeen years later, viewers couldn’t help but notice a similarity to the “murder hornets,” which invaded the U.S. in 2020.
Some say the episode also predicted the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike COVID-19, the Osaka flu virus was man-made in Japan.
After the 2020 predictions went viral on Twitter, Bill Oakley, writer of the 1993 episode, responded: “Okay, I guess we did it.”
Problems with electronic voting machines: “Treehouse of Horror XIX” (2008)
The annual Halloween special, which aired just two days before the 2008 presidential election, opened with a voting scene. During this Season 20 episode, Homer is seen using an electronic voting machine at the polls. When he attempts to vote for the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama, the machine registers his vote for the Republican candidate, John McCain. Homer attempts to correct this error and ends up voting for the Republican six times.
During the following presidential election between Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney, a Pennsylvania voter posted a video of a faulty electronic voting machine changing his vote.
Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl LI halftime performance: “Lisa Goes Gaga” (2012)
During the Season 23 finale, guest star Lady Gaga brings her eccentric style to Springfield. Noticing that Lisa is depressed, Gaga takes her under her wing to teach her a lesson in confidence.
The episode features a high-flying performance from Gaga. Life imitated art during her 2017 Super Bowl performance, when Gaga leapt from the stadium roof and floated above the crowd during her entrance.
NSA Listens to Civilians: “The Simpsons Movie” (2007)
In “The Simpsons Movie,” the family flees after Homer accidentally pollutes the town.
With Springfield under threat of destruction, the family attempts to return and save the town. Their plans backfire when the National Security Agency uses a robot clone to spy on them and listen to their plans, despite Marge's previous insistence that the government does not listen to citizens' conversations.
Five years later, whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked documents revealing that the NSA was monitoring Americans' private conversations.
