The Simpsons’ predictions for 2025 are shockingly accurate, and they’ll give you chills

For over three decades, The Simpsons has entertained millions with its hilarious spoofs, satirical takes, and unforgettable characters. Yet alongside the laughs, something else has quietly caught viewers' attention: the show’s incredible knack for predicting real-world events, sometimes years before they happen.

Whether it was a future president, pop culture icons, or viral news stories, the yellow-skinned residents of Springfield have a strange habit of morphing into cultural soothsayers.This isn’t just a coincidence. Internet sleuths and pop culture critics have compiled long lists of instances where the show aired plot points eerily similar to later headlines. From presidential elections to corporate acquisitions, the parallels are both amusing and oddly chilling.

Now, as we approach 2025, the conversation is always the same: “Did The Simpsons predict this too?” Let’s revisit some of the show’s most jaw-dropping predictions, from Trump’s political rise to Titanic-related tragedies and unpack why animated satire sometimes echoes real events.

The Simpsons predictions: 8 times the show predicted the future with chilling accuracy

1. Donald Trump as President—Way Back in 2000

Nearly two decades before the real-world shock of 2016, The Simpsons aired “Bart to the Future” in 2000. The storyline introduced President Lisa Simpson taking over from her predecessor, entangled in financial trouble—yes, President Trump.

This joke was intended as a quirky nod to Donald Trump’s earlier flirtations with politics via the Reform Party. The real jaw-dropper came in 2016 when Trump won the presidency, and again in 2024 with his re-emergence on the political stage.

The show wasn’t laughing then, and neither were viewers when reality caught up.

2. A Tiger Attack on Stage: Years in Advance

Back in 1993’s “Springfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalised Gambling)”, a duo inspired by Siegfried and Roy performs to a white tiger.

It all goes wrong when the tiger mauls one of them mid-show. Fast-forward to 2003, real-life magician Roy Horn is attacked by a white Bengal tiger during a Las Vegas performance—an event that ended his career and echoed the cartoon episode down to chilling details.

3. Nobel Prize Winner Named in Passing

Intentionally or not, The Simpsons slipped a clever cameo into 2010’s “Elementary School Musical”. A joke in Milhouse’s database shows a bet on Finnish economist Bengt R.

Holmström for the Nobel Prize in Economics. In 2016, Holmström did win the award, apparently taking the punchline seriously in hindsight—or at least celebrating the cartoon nod when the news broke.

4. A Viral Pandemic and Killer Bees (Nearly)

The 1993 episode “Marge in Chains” depicted Springfield hit by the Osaka Flu, followed by escaped killer bees, the result of a mishandled shipment. In 2020, the world experienced COVID-19, and shortly after, media outlets began reporting sightings of Asian giant hornets, nicknamed “murder hornets.”

While the show drew from earlier pandemics, that strange combo nonetheless took on eerie relevance decades later.

5. Lady Gaga Flies in for a Stadium Gig

In 2012’s “Lisa Goes Gaga,” Lady Gaga appeared in Springfield, performing with dramatic cable-assisted aerial stunts as she descended into the crowd. Five years later, the singer reenacted a similar stunt during her 2017 Super Bowl halftime show, gliding in from the stadium roof, exactly like her animated counterpart.

6. Disney Buys Fox—A Cartoon Easter Egg

A brief sign in the 1998 episode “When You Dish Upon a Star” read “20th Century Fox: A Division of Walt Disney Co.” At the time, this seemed like a cheeky side note. Yet in 2017, Disney became the official buyer of 21st Century Fox for $52 billion, a transaction finalised in 2019.

7. The Beatles Fan Surprise Decades Later

In season 2’s “Brush with Greatness” (1991), Marge recalls sending Ringo Starr a portrait—and years later receiving a letter back. Life imitated art when, in 2024, Ringo’s bandmate Paul McCartney recorded a heartfelt response to a fan video submitted 60 years prior.

The decades-long payoff echoed the episode’s whimsical premise.

8. Underwater Disaster: The Submarine Collapse

In 2006’s “Homer’s Paternity Coot,” Homer explores a sunken wreck and finds himself trapped when the sub loses air. Cue dramatic tension. In reality, on June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible bound for the Titanic site lost contact and tragically imploded. Interestingly, a Simpsons writer shared in The US Sun that he’d once taken a similar dive and experienced communication issues.

Why do these predictions always grab our attention?

Every day, The Simpsons tosses out tongue-in-cheek commentary on politicians, pop culture, and global events. But when one of those jokes mirrors the future, even a bit, we’re stunned. With nearly 800 episodes under its belt, the law of large numbers suggests some coincidences are inevitable. Still, the combination of humour, social insight, and some incredible foresight has built almost a mythical reputation.The creators write satire, yes, but they also pack satire with sharp observations on politics, technology, social trends, and media. That depth gives their throwaway gags a weirdly prophetic edge that’s more uncanny than random.