Can Simpsons actually predict the future?

The Simpsons is predicting the future. It might sound silly at first, but when we actually watch the sitcom, we eventually come to a realization that makes us pause and think. This happens because there are many scenarios and scenes in the animated series that have actually come true. The things that the show presents as puns or jokes—and we as viewers casually observe—sometimes end up becoming reality. The show never disappoints with its predictions, many of which ring true years later.

So, what is The Simpsons, and are they really predicting the future? Or are these events happening because the show has already imagined them?

The Simpsons is a long-running American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening, which first aired on Fox in 1989. The show is a satirical portrayal of the average middle-class American family and lifestyle. It follows the lives of the Simpson family: Homer (the lazy, often clueless father), Marge (the patient and caring mother), Bart (the mischievous son), Lisa (the intelligent, socially aware daughter), and Maggie (the baby who rarely speaks). They live in the fictional town of Springfield, which is filled with quirky and exaggerated characters that reflect different aspects of American society, politics, pop culture, and human behaviour.

The Simpsons has now completed its 36th season as of May 2025, but don’t worry—it’s not ending anytime soon. Fox has already renewed the show for four more seasons, taking it all the way through Season 40, which is expected to air in the 2028-2029 season.

With around 790 episodes under its belt, the series is famous for its uncanny predictions—many of which were made by the writers at least five years before the events actually happened. The recently concluded 36th season continues to showcase the creative and wild storylines that fans love.

As the show progresses, fans can expect even more amazing predictions to be added to the already long list the series has. With each new prediction, fans are surprised by how strange, funny, and somehow perfectly logical they turn out to be. In the following article, we’ll tell you about five of these predictions that have left fans in awe. 

1. The Donald Trump Presidency: Season 11, Episode 17

One of The Simpsons’ most well-known predictions came from the 2000 episode “Bart to the Future.” In the episode, Lisa becomes President of the United States and mentions that her team has to fix “a budget crunch from President Trump.” At the time, this was just a joke about Trump’s early interest in politics. But the line took on a new meaning when he was actually elected President in 2016.

The show even showed a moment where Trump rides down an escalator — a scene that looked almost exactly like the real video of him and Melania coming down an escalator when he announced his run for office. Fans were shocked at how close the show’s version was to real life.

The prediction came up again when Trump announced his run for President in 2024 — the same year The Simpsons had hinted at long ago. Show producer Al Jean even posted about it on Twitter, reminding people of the eerie connection. Around that time, the show also featured a chalkboard gag that said, “Being right sucks.”

Another strange prediction came from a 1994 episode called “Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy.” In that episode, news anchor Kent Brockman spends a long time talking about how popular dolls are, and then casually ends the news by saying, “The president was arrested today.” It was a throwaway line, but fans later found it chilling.

Why? Because in 2023, the world saw both the huge popularity of the Barbie movie and the real-life arrest of Donald Trump on racketeering charges. Just like in the show, real news mixed serious political stories with pop culture, and many fans now see that old Simpsons moment as another prediction come true.

2. Kamala Harris’ Purple Pantsuit: Season 11, Episode 17

In the same episode that predicted Donald Trump’s presidency, Lisa is seen wearing an eerily similar outfit — a purple pantsuit and white pearls — to the one Vice President Kamala Harris wore at the 2021 inauguration. “The pantsuit may have been a nod to Hillary Clinton at the time, or we were just going for a power look,” longtime Simpsons writer Mike Scully told The Hollywood Reporter. As for the color purple? “That seemed to have been a random choice. It may have been done by the animators.” Her pearls, of course, weren’t a surprise: “Lisa always wears them,” Scully added.

In a special short mocking former President Donald Trump, The Simpsons parodied a song from West Side Story and showed a kind of musical competition between Trump and other political figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. While this sing-off didn’t actually happen in real life, one moment in the short stood out. It showed Trump standing next to a line of dancers — among them were Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who weren’t running mates at the time. Director David Silverman shared the scene on X, asking showrunner Al Jean if they had “predicted the future again.”

Given the satirical nature of The Simpsons, it’s no surprise that more moments from the show seem to come true as global politics continue to shift. One of the latest examples is Kamala Harris’ recent nomination as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, following Joe Biden’s decision to step down from the 2024 race.

In “Bart to the Future,” Lisa Simpson becomes the first straight female U.S. president. While it’s too early to say this is a direct prediction, many fans have pointed out that Lisa’s purple suit and white necklace look strikingly similar to Kamala Harris’ real-life outfit. Al Jean later posted on X, expressing pride in the connection and what it might mean heading into the next election.

3. Siegfried and Roy Tiger Attack: Season 5, Episode 10

In the episode "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)", Mr. Burns decides to bring Las Vegas-style entertainment to Springfield by opening a casino. One of the big attractions at the casino is a magic act by two characters, Gunter and Ernst, who are clearly based on real-life performers Siegfried and Roy — famous for their shows with white tigers.

In the episode, their trained white tiger, Anastasia, suddenly attacks them during a show. At the time, this seemed like just a joke about the risks of working with wild animals.

However, 10 years later, in 2003, something very similar happened in real life. Roy Horn, one of the real entertainers, was badly injured when he was attacked by his white tiger Montecore during a live show in Las Vegas. He survived but suffered serious injuries that ended his performing career.

This moment in The Simpsons became one of the show's most shocking predictions — not because it was likely, but because it happened almost exactly the way the show had portrayed it years earlier.

4. Smartwatches: Season 6, Episode 19

In the episode “Lisa’s Wedding”, The Simpsons takes a look into the future, showing off a few fun ideas about what technology might be like. One moment that really stood out was when Lisa’s boyfriend, Hugh, talks into his watch to make a call — something that seemed funny and futuristic at the time.

But years later, in 2013, smartwatches with voice control became real. Today, people use them every day to send messages, make calls, or even check their health.

Back when the episode aired in 1995, the idea of talking to your watch felt like science fiction. But The Simpsons got it right, almost 20 years before the technology actually showed up in real life. Unfortunately for Hugh, using it to propose didn’t go as planned!

5. Disney-fox: season 10, episode 5

Another striking prediction came from the 1998 episode “When You Wish Upon a Star.” In the episode, Homer meets Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger and pitches a movie idea to executives at 20th Century Fox. What really caught fans’ attention was a quick visual gag showing a sign that read: “20th Century Fox – A Division of Walt Disney Co.” It seemed like just another clever joke—until it came true.

Fast forward to December 2017, when Disney officially announced its plan to acquire 21st Century Fox for $71 billion, a deal finalized in 2019. By 2021, the two companies had even sorted out film streaming rights, deciding which titles would go to Disney+, Hulu, or HBO Max. A joke in a cartoon became a corporate reality.

These moments are part of what makes The Simpsons so legendary—not just for its humour, but for the strange way it seems to glimpse into the future. [Rh/VP]