KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — Long before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the war was predicted by The Simpsons.
Twitter users have taken to the social media platform to share that a 1998 episode had highlighted this.
Titled Simpson Tide, the episode has Homer accidentally firing a submarine captain into Russian waters during a military exercise, prompting a newly resuscitated Soviet Union to deploy troops and tanks to the streets and instantly resurrect the Berlin Wall, New York Post reported.
I think The #Simpsons predicted the Crisis of #Ukraine & #Russia way before only #UkraineConflict #UkraineRussia pic.twitter.com/NFa3oUB5PX
— Pradeep Kumar K (@its_Pradeep96) February 24, 2022
The troubling parallels were affirmed by the show’s executive producer Al Jean, who tweeted: “Very sad to say this was not hard to predict.”
.@TheSimpsons Very sad to say this was not hard to predict: https://t.co/oC9LScSHrU
— Al Jean (@AlJean) February 24, 2022
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Jean said:
“I hate to say it, but I was born in 1961, so 30 years of my life were lived with the spectre 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.”
Jean added historical aggression never really goes away, and one has to be super vigilant.
“In 1998, when this clip aired, it was maybe the zenith of U.S.-Russia relations,” he said.
“But, ever since [Russian President Vladimir] Putin got in, almost everybody has made it clear that he’s a bad guy and bad things are going to happen,” he added.
The cartoon, which first aired on December 17, 1989, is often been credited with predicting Superbowl outcomes.
Matt Groening’s beloved cartoon has also been credited with foreseeing Donald Trump’s presidency and even the coronavirus pandemic.
