‘The Simpsons’ Fans Find Another Eerie Prediction Due to Coronavirus Pandemic’s Social Distancing Efforts

Once again, it seems as though The Simpsons has helped “predict” life in the era of coronavirus. As noted by The Daily Mail, in the show’s Season 10 episode, “Wild Barts Can’t Be Broken,” the ending seems to speak specifically about life under Stay at Home orders, which are increasingly common these days.

The episode, which first aired back in 1999, starts with a series of Homer’s drunken antics that ends up with all the kids in Springfield stuck with a curfew. As Bart bands some of the kids together to start a pirate radio station, they begin air all the adults’ dirty laundry. It ends with a massive showdown between the kids and the adults — that is before the seniors step in. By the end of the episode, the seniors, who always vote in record numbers, enact a curfew by a single vote that prevents anyone over the age of 70 from being outside after dark.

To mark the occasion, TV news anchor Kent Brockman delivers his usual nightly broadcast from his home, which has been an increasingly common sight as more and more anchors have broadcast from their home to avoid spreading coronavirus. And, like the eerie parallels between Tom Hanks‘ coronavirus announcement and his cameo in 2007’s The Simpsons Movie, people took to Twitter to talk about it.

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Granted, the reason for the two curfews is vastly different, but the image of newscasters broadcasting from inside their homes speaks to how widespread the pandemic has become. 

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Along with Hanks’ cameo in the feature film, others have also pointed to the 1993 episode “Marge in Chains,” which involved a virus coming over in packages ordered from China, eventually infecting most of the town. 

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Not everyone appreciates the comparison, including former Simpsons writer Bill Oakley, who told The Hollywood Reporter that “I don’t like it being used for nefarious purposes.” 

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“The idea that anyone misappropriates it to make coronavirus seem like an Asian plot is terrible. In terms of trying to place blame on Asia — I think that is gross,” Oakley, who co-wrote the episode with Josh Weinstein, went on to say. 

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Given the… surprising reliability that The Simpsons has in predicting the future, others weighed in proclaiming they’d be looking toward the animated series for all their answers about what’s to come. 

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The Simpsons airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET on Fox, and can be streamed anytime on Disney+.