For more than thirty years, The Simpsons has delivered sharp humor and bright cartoon visuals, yet many fans insist the show hides something far more mysterious. Over time, people have pointed out how often the series seems to mirror real life, especially when major world events take place years after they appear in an episode. These moments have created a major online conspiracy that questions how a simple animated sitcom could line up so closely with future events. Some believe the writers have access to information the public does not know, while others think the show uses subtle clues that hint at real events long before they happen.
In this blog, we will dive into the four biggest conspiracy theories surrounding The Simpsons and explore why so many people believe the show has a strange connection to the future. From shocking political predictions to performances that seem copied from the screen, these examples have caused fans to question whether The Simpsons is simply reflecting life or revealing something much deeper.
Season 6, Episode 19: The Prediction of Facetime and Video Calling
The episode Lisa’s Wedding from season six, episode nineteen, aired on March 19, 1995. Many people point to it as a major example of The Simpsons predicting modern technology long before it ever became real. In this episode, Lisa gets a glimpse of her future as a college student, and advanced communication tools appear as an everyday part of life. One of the most memorable scenes features a video calling device that allows characters to see and talk to each other in real time. The design looks incredibly similar to what we now know as FaceTime, Zoom, and other video chat platforms that did not exist at all in the 1990s.
When the episode aired, video calling existed only as a sci-fi idea. Home computers ran slowly, internet connections couldn’t support live video, and smartphones were nowhere near invention. Because of this, most viewers considered the scene a fun futuristic idea. But after FaceTime launched in 2010 and quickly became a normal way to communicate, fans immediately pointed back to this exact Simpsons moment. People began sharing clips comparing the cartoon version to real video calls, and the similarities were clear. The placement of the speaker, the shape of the screen, and even the way the characters talk all mirror the technology we use today.
Supporters of the conspiracy argue that this prediction is too accurate to ignore. They believe the writers somehow had knowledge about upcoming advancements or purposely included clues about the future. The level of detail in the scene, especially considering how far ahead of its time it was, has kept this conspiracy alive on social media for years. Even people who do not normally believe in conspiracy theories admit that this prediction feels surprisingly close to the real thing.
Season 9, Episode 1: The 9/11 Magazine Cover
On this episode The City of New York vs Homer Simpson, from season nine, episode one, aired on September 21, 1997. Many fans now view it as one of the most unsettling predictions in the entire series. In this episode, Homer heads to New York City to retrieve his car after the city boots it and leaves it parked between the Twin Towers. During the trip-planning scene, the family looks at a brochure that flashes a nine-dollar bus fare to New York City. The design of the brochure places the large number nine directly beside an image of the Twin Towers. When viewed together, the visual appears to read as the numbers nine eleven, which immediately stands out in hindsight.
When the episode aired, the image passed without notice, but after the September 11 attacks, viewers went back to the scene and reacted with shock at the unintentional symbolism. The placement of the nine beside the towers is so visually close to the meaning of 9/11 that it became one of the most widely shared examples of The Simpsons supposedly hinting at future events. People who support the conspiracy claim that the visual is too specific and too direct to be accidental. The fact that the episode involves New York City and includes shots of the actual towers only strengthens the theory. Because this moment was shown four years before the real event, it remains one of the most chilling pieces of the entire Simpsons conspiracy narrative.
Season 11, Episode 17: Donald Trump Becoming President
The episode Bart to the Future, from season eleven, episode seventeen, first aired on March 19, 2000, and is now one of the most discussed Simpsons Conspiracies. In this storyline, Bart is shown a vision of his future by a fortune teller, revealing a world where he has become a lazy, irresponsible adult. In this vision, Lisa has just taken office as the President of the United States, and she explains that her administration has inherited a massive financial crisis caused by former President Donald Trump. At the time this episode aired, Trump was known almost entirely as a businessman and a celebrity figure, not as a political candidate. The idea of him becoming president seemed more like a humorous exaggeration than anything grounded in real life.
Years later, when Trump announced his real presidential campaign, people immediately remembered The Simpsons episode and began sharing clips online. Once he actually won in 2016, the scene became a global talking point. Fans argued that there was no realistic way the writers could have made such a specific prediction unless they knew something or were trying to hint at something larger. The detail that Lisa described Trump leaving the country in financial trouble made the theory even stronger, because the United States faced major political division and economic concerns during that period. This conspiracy is often used as the centerpiece for the idea that The Simpsons has the ability to forecast events long before they happen.
Season 23, Episode 22: Lady Gaga Super Bowl Performance
The episode Lisa Goes Gaga from season twenty three episode twenty two aired on May 22, 2012, and later became a major example of the show predicting real life events. In this episode, Lady Gaga arrives in Springfield to help inspire the town, and she performs a dramatic musical routine filled with bright lights, bold clothing, and theatrical stunts. One of the most striking parts of the performance is when she is lifted above the crowd, suspended by wires as she sings in a sparkling silver outfit. The animation shows her moving over the audience with exaggerated confidence and flair, which perfectly matches the real life persona she is known for.
Fast forward to the real Super Bowl halftime show in 2017, and Gaga shocked the world by descending from the top of the stadium in a silver costume that looked incredibly similar to the one in the cartoon. She performed high above the crowd, used intense lighting effects, and recreated several dramatic poses that appeared nearly identical to the episode. As soon as the performance aired, fans began posting side by side comparisons online, quickly pointing out how closely the real scene matched the animated one from years earlier. Supporters of the conspiracy argue that the level of similarity is too precise to write off as coincidence, especially because halftime shows are planned with extreme secrecy. This moment continues to strengthen the belief that the show is somehow able to mirror future cultural events with almost unbelievable accuracy.
In Conclusion
Looking at these four examples, it is clear why The Simpsons has become such a major part of online conspiracy culture. Each theory comes from a different kind of moment, yet all of them leave viewers thinking about how closely the show lines up with real events. Some scenes involve politics, others involve celebrities or technology, and a few appear almost unsettling when viewed years later. What makes these theories so powerful is how long the show has been on television and how much content it has created, giving fans endless material to analyze.
Whether someone believes the predictions are intentional or coincidental, these episodes have encouraged people to pay closer attention to small details, hidden visuals, and background moments they might have ignored before. The Simpsons has built a reputation for surprising accuracy, and these stories continue to spark curiosity and debate. As the show keeps releasing new episodes, there is no doubt that fans will keep watching for the next moment that feels a little too close to reality.
If you want to read about more predictions that came true, check this out: 55 ‘The Simpsons’ Predictions That Came True
If you want to explore more conspiracy theories, you can read our latest breakdown of the nine eleven conspiracy here at https://uatwitch.com/
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