The Simpsons fans have suggested that the show successfully predicted Kamala Harris’s inauguration outfit.
In the Simpsons episode “Bart to the Future”, broadcast in 2000, an adult Lisa Simpson is depicted as the incoming president of the United States. She is also elected in the wake of Trump, with Lisa claiming that her administration inherited “quite a budget crunch” from him.
If the show’s prediction of a President Trump wasn’t surreal enough, fans have also noticed that Lisa’s presidential outfit is incredibly similar to the ensemble worn by Harris at Wednesday’s (20 January) inauguration ceremony.
Harris was sworn in as vice president to Joe Biden while dressed in a purple coat, which she topped off with a pearl necklace. In “Bart to the Future”, Lisa is seen wearing a purple suit and a pearl necklace.
“Yeah, everything that ever will be has already been on The Simpsons,” joked fan Phil Hagen on Twitter. “But this is a bit on the nose.”
Others were left struck by the “prediction”, with one person adding: “It's time to rewatch Simpsons for stock market and crypto predictions.”
“Okay, that settles it: the writers for The Simpsons are time travellers,” tweeted another fan.
The Simpsons has long been accused of “predicting” the future. As well as joking about a Trump presidency nearly two decades before Trump was actually elected, a subplot in a 1993 episode of the show drew comparisons to the coronavirus pandemic last year.
A 1996 episode also featured an anthropomorphic amendment storming the Capitol building, a scene that would be echoed earlier this month when Trump supporters also attempted to storm the historic building.
Yesterday’s inauguration was also home to another Simpsons “prediction”. Fans pointed out that Tom Hanks, who was part of the ceremony, previously addressed the American public “in a moment of crisis” in 2007’s The Simpsons Movie.
For a rundown of yesterday’s inauguration highlights, including performances by Bruce Springsteen and Jennifer Lopez, click here.
