If you’ve ever joked that The Simpsons writers must have a time machine hidden in the writers’ room, you’re not alone. Over more than three decades, Springfield’s favorite family hasn’t just spoofed pop culture—they’ve somehow predicted it. From politics to tech to sports, this long-running series has turned sight gags and one-off jokes into eerily accurate glimpses of the future. Here are 10 of the strangest (and most impressive) predictions the show got right.
10. Cypress Hill Jams with the London Symphony Orchestra
In 1996’s “Homerpalooza” episode, Cypress Hill allegedly books the London Symphony Orchestra “by accident,” resulting in a memorable mash-up. Nearly 30 years later, the hip-hop crew performed alongside the LSO at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2024. As B-Real himself attested, they likely wouldn’t have done it without The Simpsons having sown the seed.
9. The Shard in London’s Skyline
Back in 1995, “Lisa’s Wedding” peeked into the future of London. In the background of Tower Bridge, a spiky, glassy, tall skyscraper is visible—scarily close to The Shard, constructed as late as 2009. The similarity and place are too good to be missed.
8. Horse Meat Scandal
In 1994, Lunchlady Doris tossed in “assorted horse parts” into the school stew in a casual cafeteria joke. No one suspected back then that the joke was a foreshadowing of horror. In 2013, a real-life scandal shook Europe when horse meat was discovered in so-called beef products on UK supermarket shelves. Springfield’s kitchen sense of humor proved to be an ugly premonition.
7. Nobel Prize Winner Called in Advance
A rapid-fire gag on a 2010 episode depicted Milhouse forecasting that Finnish economist Bengt Holmström would win a Nobel Prize. Six years went by, and Holmström did just that. A blink-and-you-miss-it joke suddenly appeared to be clairvoyance.
6. Wristwatch Phones Become Reality
When Lisa travels to the future in “Lisa’s Wedding” (1995), her fiancé talks into his watch as if it were a phone. At the time, that was sci-fi goofiness. By 2013, smartwatches were available with voice recognition. Springfield got there almost 20 years before Apple.
5. Lady Gaga’s Halftime Show
In 2012, “Lisa Goes Gaga” sent the pop star soaring over the Springfield crowd on wires, all in sequins. In 2017, her Super Bowl halftime show included. hShedescending from the stadium roof on wires, in sparkly attire. The only thing lacking was Homer among the crowd.
4. U.S. Wins Olympic Curling Gold
The 2010 “Boy Meets Curl” episode featured Homer and Marge improbably piloting Team USA to gold over Sweden. Eight years later, the U.S. men’s curling team stunned the world by… defeating Sweden for their first Olympic gold. Guess Springfield’s sports prognostications can be as good as their political ones.
3. Pandemic and “Murder Hornets
In “Marge in Chains” (1993), the Osaka Flu infests Springfield, and a shipment of “killer bees” is let loose amidst the bedlam. Fast forward to 2020: an international pandemic that began in Asia meets the unexpected emergence of Asian giant hornets (also known as “murder hornets”) in America. Creator Bill Oakley himself acknowledged that the similarities were a tad too coincidental.
2. Disney Acquires Fox
One throwaway background joke in 1998 featured the 20th Century Fox logo with the new slogan: “A Division of Walt Disney Co.” No one gave it a second thought—until 2019, when Disney indeed purchased Fox in a $71 billion transaction. The Simpsons ultimately did become part of the Disney family after all.
1. President Trump—and Kamala’s Wardrobe
The most iconic prophecy of them all is from the 2000s, “Bart to the Future.” Lisa is elected President of the United States and refers to inheriting “a budget crunch from President Trump.” Eighteen years later, Trump was elected president. For good measure, Lisa’s dress in the episode—a purple blazer with pearls—was nearly indistinguishable from Vice President Kamala Harris’s appearance at the 2021 inauguration. Sometimes, coincidence is more extraordinary than satire.
From skyscrapers to Super Bowls to the Oval Office, The Simpsons has an uncanny knack for blurring the line between satire and prophecy. With new episodes continuing to premiere, one only wonders: what’s the next joke that’ll become tomorrow’s headline?