Granted, the sitcom may’ve missed the mark slightly when it came to the 2024 US elections, but hey, we’re all human and make mistakes sometimes, right?
And in other cases, The Simpsons has certainly been eerily accurate in predicting the future – from Raygun’s viral Olympics breakdancing moment to an unlikely music collaboration – but what are some ‘predictions’ the iconic series has made which could supposedly come true now we’ve entered a new year?
HubPages points out three specific predictions made by the show which have the possibility – however slim or large – of coming true in the future or potentially even as soon as 2025.
First up? WW3. Given the current state of the world, this one isn’t actually too shocking a prediction and neither is it too wild to suggest for 2025.
There’s been a few references made to the third World War since The Simpsons first aired.
In a 1987 short starring Homer Simpson, the donut-loving character is convinced it’s actually already started and convinces the rest of the family to take to the garden and build a homemade shelter.
Season six episode 19 titled ‘Lisa’s Wedding’ sees Lisa’s fiancè, Hugh Parkfield, Homer and Bart and visit Moe’s Tavern.
Noting Hugh is British, Moe tells him that they ‘saved their a** in WW2’, to which Hugh responds: “Well, we saved your a**e in WW3.” And Moe replies: “That’s true.”
Whether or not it happens this year, many years in the future or at all – hey, we have to hope don’t we – who knows, but The Simpsons hath spoken.
But The Simpsons said it so it must be true, right? (Disney)
A global apocalypse
In 2005, season 16 episode 19 ‘Thank God, It’s Doomsday’ aired which sees Homer, Lisa and Bart go to the cinema and see a movie about the rapture – the belief Christ will return and gather believers up to Heaven amidst an apocalypse.
Homer then starts freaking out about the rapture being imminent and the ‘end’ being ‘near’.
Nothing actually happens and Homer and his family are fine, but just because they are doesn’t mean we all are too – they are made up characters in an animated sitcom after all.
Is ‘Doomsday’ nearing? (Disney)
Zombie apocalypse
Now, granted, this may seem a bit out there and certainly more extreme of The Simpsons predictions to even consider coming true in 2025.
However, given scientists revived a ‘zombie virus’ which had been frozen in permafrost for thousands of years in 2023, hey, it’s not exactly like global health pandemics haven’t happened before.
Within spin-off anthology series Treehouse of Horror, episode four ‘Treehouse of Horror XX’ sees the self-contained story ‘Don’t Have a Cow, Mankind’.
Krusty the Clown’s Burger 2.0 prompts a zombie outbreak and the fate of Springfield ends up in the hands of Bart.
Bart ends up leading to the vaccination of the rest of the population, saving the world from being taken over by flesh eating monsters.
And it’s not taken long for social media users to weigh in on the ‘predictions’.
Terrifying (Disney)
One Twitter user argued the zombie apocalypse was predicted by the show in 2024 – so, I guess we’re safe then?
“As 2024 ends and 2025 begins, so does Season 16 as we’re on the final 3 episodes where Homer thinks the world will end, Ned leaves Springfield and Bart goes to a Catholic school with Thank God, It’s Doomsday, Home Away from Homer and The Father, the Son, and the Holy Guest Star,” a second argued.
Although, another simply reassured: “Guys don’t worry, there’s a ton of Simpson predictions that haven’t happen.”
