The Simpsons Foresight Flounders as Trump Wins 2024 Election

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ICARO Media Group
Politics
06/11/2024 19h14

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In a rare miss, the prophetic prowess of the beloved animated sitcom "The Simpsons" stumbled with its prediction regarding Kamala Harris ascending to the U.S. presidency. Contrary to the show's anticipation, Donald Trump triumphed in the 2024 election on Wednesday. The show, celebrated for its uncanny ability to foretell future events over its 35-year run, had hinted as early as 2000 that Harris, who is now 60, might become president.

The speculated outcome was derived from the episode “Bart to the Future,” where Lisa Simpson becomes the first female president. Notably, Lisa's attire in the episode—a purple ensemble paired with a pearl necklace and earrings—eerily mirrored the outfit Harris wore during the 2021 inauguration, following the victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris over Trump in the 2020 election. Adding to the remarkable parallel, President Lisa quips about inheriting a budget crunch from a Trump presidency.

The depiction of Lisa and Harris donning similar purple outfits gained viral attention three years after Harris replaced Biden, 81, as the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential race. Harris had selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, but they were defeated by Trump, 78, and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance.

Fans quickly took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express their views on this unexpected turn of events. One user quipped, “For the first time ever, The Simpsons got it wrong,” while another pondered, “So does this mean The Simpsons episode 'predictions' gonna come to an end since Kamala didn't win?”

"The Simpsons" had previously predicted Trump's rise to the presidency before his initial victory in the 2016 election. Matt Groening, the series' creator, reflected on this in a 2016 interview with the Guardian, noting that the idea of Trump as president was initially intended as an absurd satirical joke.

Over the years, the show has made several other accurate predictions, including the Capitol riot, the "Game of Thrones" finale, the coronavirus pandemic, Lady Gaga's Super Bowl halftime show, and Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Last month, showrunner and executive producer Matt Selman explained the methodology behind the show’s predictive streak.

Selman suggested that studying history and mathematics makes it unavoidable for some predictions to align with reality. He added that observing past human folly equips the writers to anticipate future blunders as well. However, Selman voiced frustration over fake images circulating online, falsely attributed to the show's predictions.

Now in its 36th season, "The Simpsons" continues to air on Sundays on Fox at 8 p.m. ET, maintaining its place as a staple of both humorous and eerily prescient television.

The views expressed in this article do not reflect the opinion of ICARO, or any of its affiliates.

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