From Diddy’s downfall to Ivanka 2028, are these cartoon jokes or coded glimpses into the future? For over three decades, The Simpsons has been more than a TV show, it’s become the internet’s favorite “time traveler.” Whether it’s elections, tech, or viral chaos, fans are quick to say: they called it first.
Predictions That Came True
1. Donald Trump Becomes President
What we saw: In the 2000 episode “Bart to the Future,” Lisa becomes president and casually mentions inheriting “A budget crunch from President Trump.” The idea was so ridiculous at the time that it was meant purely for laughs.
Real moment: Fast forward to 2016, Donald J. Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States, stunning the political establishment.
Verdict: “Rightfully” True. A political gag transformed into historical fact.
2. Kamala Harris’ Purple Pantsuit
What we saw: In that same episode from 2000, President Lisa wears a purple suit with a string of pearls; Strong, “power-woman” look.
Real Moment: In 2021, Kamala Harris wore the same eerily similar purple suit and pearls for her Vice Presidential inauguration, resulting in a viral comparison to Lisa.
Verdict: Purplish Truth. The visual match was almost unsettling.
3. Disney Buys Fox
What we saw: In a quick image gag from an episode in 1998, the 20th Century Fox logo is shown with a little tag on the end: A division of Walt Disney Co.
Real moment: For $71 billion, Disney acquired 21st Century Fox, under his roof in 2019.
Verdict: Whopper True. The joke became an actual headline.
4. Smartwatches
What we saw: In the 1995 episode “Lisa’s Wedding,” a man proposes using a futuristic wristwatch to make a phone call.
Real moment: Two decades later, Apple Watch and similar smartwatches revolutionized how we communicate… from calls to health tracking.
Verdict: Tech-True. The future was literally on our wrists.
5. Richard Branson in Space
What We Saw: It is in 2014 that billionaire Richard Branson is shown floating in zero gravity in a private space shuttle.
Real moment: In 2021, Branson took a flight for Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22, almost recreating the cartoon event shot for shot.
Verdict: Humongously True. More than just a prediction, this one was storyboarded for reality.
6. Pandemic Panic
What we saw: In the 1993 episode “Marge in Chains,” the virus termed “Osaka Flu” spreads across Springfield through coughs, panic buying, and all kinds of disarray.
Real moment: COVID-19 hit the world in 2020, which bore startling resemblance to that; in fact, it went down to fears of transmission via freight shipping and hoarding toilet paper.
Verdict: Frighteningly True. Satire by the year 2021 felt like a documentary.
7. Tom Hanks’ Inaugural Message
What we saw: In The Simpsons Movie (2007), a digitally calm Tom Hanks appears in a fictional government PSA, saying with that classic Hanks sincerity, “The U.S. government has lost its credibility, so it’s borrowing some of mine.”
Real moment: Cut to 2021: Hanks is no longer animated but very real, hosting the post-inaugural special “Celebrating America for President Biden”
Verdict: Allegorical Truth. Fiction gave the directions; Reality gave the man.
8. Game of Thrones Dragon Twist
What we saw: In a 2017 couch gag titled “The Serfsons,” The Simpsons took Westeros into Springfield’s hand, with a fire-breathing dragon destroying an entire village.
Real moment: Just two years later (2019), Game of Thrones showed Daenerys’ dragon burning down King’s Landing, shocking fans and splitting the internet right down the middle.
Verdict: Unbelievably True. A joke meant to parody ended up predicting one of television’s most debated finales.
9. “Eat Up, Martha” and Auto-Correct
What we saw: In “Lisa on Ice” (1994), a message meant to say “Beat up Martin” is auto-corrected by a Newton device to “Eat up Martha.”
Real moment: Developers at Apple later admitted this Simpsons joke haunted them and helped shape the way they refined autocorrect.
Verdict: Revolutionarily True. A joke so sharp it rewired Silicon Valley’s standards.
10. Diddy’s White Party
What We Saw: In “The Great Phatsby” (2017), a mogul lives a lifestyle quite similar to Diddy and holds a Gatsby-style white party: a parody of hip-hop luxury lifestyle.
Real moment: Who would have thought that Diddy, so well known for holding all white parties during the 2000s, would end up facing court trials in 2025?
Verdict: Controversially True. A parody during the time, but now seeming eerily relevant.
Predictions That Didn’t Happen (or Haven’t Yet)
11. Trump’s “Death”
What we saw: Actually, nothing. A viral image claiming The Simpsons showed Trump in a coffin was fake: AI-generated or fan art.
Real moment: Trump is very much alive, and no such episode ever aired.
Verdict: False. A case of internet myth-making.
12. Ivanka Trump 2028
What we saw: A “Vote Ivanka 2028” badge appeared in a later episode as a quick Easter egg.
Real moment: As of 2025, Ivanka hasn’t declared any presidential bid, but rumors persist.
Verdict: Maybe. It’s speculative but could still happen.
Also Read….
Trainwreck: Poop Cruise’ Review; A Netflix Series That’s Buzzing All Over the Internet
13. Colonizing Mars by 2026
What we saw: In Season 27, Episode 16 (“The Marge-ian Chronicles”, 2016), Lisa and Marge volunteer for a mission to colonize Mars with a launch date set for the year 2026.
Real moment: As of 2025, there is no permanent Mars colony, nor any realistic launch confirmed for 2026.
Verdict: False. Overly optimistic, we’re nowhere near living on Mars by 2026.
Conclusion
The Simpsons isn’t psychic, just scarily observant. With 700+ episodes of sharp satire, it reflects reality so well that jokes start to look like headlines. It’s like laughing at a cartoon… until you realize it’s laughing back.
So, what’s next? Ivanka 2028? Or Bart’s final 2025 chalkboard: “I warned you.”
Written By MANSI SINGH