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A number of people on social media remarked that the show The Simpsons appeared to foretell the future once again in 1998, just before the Russia-Ukraine crisis developed severity on Thursday.
The decades-old joke did not miss the eye of The Simpsons' creator Al Jean. He took to Twitter to express his take on it.
The show has made headlines countless times over the years for allegedly foreseeing the future. While most scenarios can be amusing, such as a Super Bowl showdown or the advent of FaceTime, this one is a unique situation.
Which episode of The Simpsons foreshadows the Russia-Ukraine crisis?
In a 1998 episode titled Simpson Tide, there is a scene that is thought to be a prophecy of present times. Homer unintentionally fires the sub-captain out of the vessel into Russian waters while on a nuclear submarine participating in a military exercise.
Cut to Russia, where troops and tanks pour out onto the streets as the Berlin Wall is revived. According to Al Jean, there was no backlash as the production was able to clear the rights to utilize The Internationale for the 1998 episode joke.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, The Simpsons director said,
“I hate to say it, but I was born in 1961, so 30 years of my life were lived with the specter of the Soviet Union. So, to me, this is sadly more the norm than it is a prediction. We just figured things were going to go bad."
Other events predicted by The Simspons
The show's ability to foretell the future has been legendary since it first aired in 1989. The Capitol Hill protests on January 6th were prophesied in a Halloween episode of the show, while Kamala Harris' presidential inaugural attire was anticipated in an episode from 2000.
In the same episode that foreshadowed Harris' costume, the show also foreshadowed Trump's rise to power. Lisa, as she became the first female president, explained that she took over from Trump who had just devastated the economy.
In a 1998 episode, 20th Century Fox was referred to as "a division of the Walt Disney Company" in a minor scene. Disney executed a multi-billion dollar acquisition of 21st Century Fox's film and television holdings just under 20 years after the episode aired.
