'The Simpsons' Trump Assassination Prediction Is Fake: 'It Is Doctored,' Says EP
"The Simpson" did not predict Donald Trump's assassination in contrast to the claims on social media.
On Saturday, a shooting incident happened during Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The incident, which is being investigated as an assassination attempt, became a hot topic on social media, with many claiming it was already predicted in a previous episode of "The Simpsons."
Matt Selman, an executive producer and showrunner for "The Simpsons," quickly shut down the claims. He also denied the photo allegedly taken from an episode where Trump could be seen in a coffin with the words "R.I.P Donald Trump 1946-2024."
"The image of Donald Trump in a coffin never appeared on The Simpsons. It is doctored," Selman told Reuters in an email.
"Sadly, it is all too easy to create fake Simpsons' predictions' like these for the purpose of misleading people."
The outlet added that the cartoon image of Trump inside a casket has been circulating online since at least 2017, and it is fake, according to the EP.
Selman released the statement after several social media users discussed Trump's assassination attempt, linking it to an alleged past episode of "The Simpsons." Several social media users claimed that the show's prediction failed because Trump survived the shooting while in the photo circulating online, which many assumed was from the show, the ex-POTUS was inside a casket, suggesting he died.
"This is the first time I've seen a Simpsons prediction fail," one wrote with a crying emoji.
Another added, "The Simpsons rarely fail with their predictions. 2024 isn't over yet. Stay safe, Mr. Trump. Patriots protect their heroes."
"Did the Simpsons fail to predict Donald Trump's death? Matrix," a third person opined.
"The Simpsons never fail [sic]. Trump was the president in the cartoon; last night he wasn't," another said, suggesting that Trump probably survived because the assassination attempt happened when he was still running as president and not the POTUS.
Trump has appeared in several episodes of "The Simpsons." However, there's no evidence that the circulating photo of Trump inside a casket was from any of those episodes.
In an episode titled "Bart to the Future," which aired on March 19, 2000, the show predicted Trump's presidency, per CNN. In another episode that aired in 2015, titled "Trumptastic Voyage," the animated series predicted Trump joining the 2024 presidential race.
"The Simpsons" has been accused of predictive programming, a perception management that refers to the idea that the government or other powerful forces use books, movies and TV shows to condition the public into accepting future crises that they secretly planned themselves. However, independent fact-checkers debunked the claims against the show. Reuters Fact Check concluded that "The Simpsons" episodes are not evidence of "predictive programming."
