Lisa Simpson secures her presidency after Donald Trump destroys the world’s economy, a scenario eerily similar to Kamala Harris’ presidential run.  

The fish within “The Simpsons”’ universe are shown with a three eye mutation due to nuclear pollution, a scenario mirrored by fish near a nuclear plant in Argentina.

Since its debut in 1989, “The Simpsons” have left people questioning its writers’ unique ability to “foresee the future.” This has left many to wonder if the writers are psychic comedians using their abilities to entertain. 

Over the show’s many seasons and many predictions, this query has become common.

The writers are not psychic, according to History teacher and longtime viewer Mr. Jacob Ferrin, who’s watched the show since he was six.  

“Well the writers aren’t really predicting the future,” he said. “‘The Simpsons’ has an incredible thumb on the pulse of America, meaning the writers have a deep understanding of American character, so they are able to lampoon and satirize it. Therefore, in some strange scenarios, they are able to make these educated guesses that aren’t really predictions. They are able to count the beats of things that could happen in an American climate.”

The animated American television show follows Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson in their day-to-day life in Springfield. 

Through 35 seasons and 768 episodes, “The Simpsons” has made so many predictions that in 2020, Disney+ created a collection titled “The Simpsons Predict.”. 

“There is so much going on in the world that we have to come in and talk about it,” says Stephanie Gillis, a writer on “The Simpsons”. “We are sort of futurologists in that we write so far ahead, leaving us to guess what’s going to happen.” 

There are several notable episodes where “The Simpsons” correctly predicted the future.

“If you watch any of those early seasons of “The Simpsons,” every episode is just a salient and satirical view of society,” Mr. Ferrin said. 

In Season Six Episode 19, “Lisa’s Wedding,” which premiered in 1994, The Simpson family visits a carnival, where Lisa learns about her future from a fortune teller. The episode features futuristic technology, including  a smartwatch, which is now commonplace. 

While many view this episode as predicting the invention of smartwatches, Ferrin believes it may have inspired companies to develop the technology.

“This episode could have honestly just been the inspiration for a few companies to venture into this world of unconventional tech items that eventually become conventional,” Ferrin said.

While it’s tempting to believe that “The Simpsons” writers are prophets, their success lies in their awareness of current events and a strategic selection of topics that remain relevant over time.  

“I think it’s worth mentioning that they write these episodes 10 months in advance and these predictions come out years later,” Mr. Ferrin said. “They just make these assumptions of things that could happen and they stay relevant.”