The Simpsons showrunner reveals the truth behind the show’s creepy predictions
18 November 2021, 16:32
Did this Tom Hanks Simpsons prediction just come true?
"If you throw enough darts, you’re going to get some bullseyes."
The Simpsons writer Al Jean has finally revealed how the show is able to predict some of the world's biggest events.
The Simpsons debuted in 1989 and since then it's won a legion of fans. But aside from the comedy, it's become known for its creepily accurate predictions of world events. So far, The Simpsons has predicted Donald Trump becoming President, 9/11 and, most recently, Richard Branson going in to space (the episode actually aired in 2011).
Fans have long wondered if the The Simpsons writers have special psychic intel. So, how do they do it? Magic? A crystal ball? Some kind of sorcery? Well Al Jean, who is one of the original writers of the series, has finally put us out of our misery and revealed The Simpsons' predictions secret.
READ MORE: Simpsons Predictions 2021: A list of everything that's happened so far
In an interview with NME, Al said: "One of our writers, the guy whose episode predicted Donald Trump as president, said it best: 'If you write 700 episodes, and you don’t predict anything, then you’re pretty bad. If you throw enough darts, you’re going to get some bullseyes…'"
But one of the most talked about episodes is the 9/11 episode. In season 9 episode 1, titled The City of New York vs Homer Simpson, there's a moment that references the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York City years before it actually happened.
Al added: "The 9/11 one is so bizarre. In the World Trade Center episode, there was a brochure reading $9 a day with an 11 styled up like the towers. That was in ’96, which was crazy, like this insane coincidence. But mostly it’s just educated guesses.
"Stanley Kubrick made the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968 and there’s Zoom and iPads in it – but that’s because he had futurologists helping him construct what the world might look like in 30 years time."
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