‘The Simpsons’ ‘Predicted’ Ted Cruz’s Cancun Scandal in Classic Mayor Quimby Scene

The Simpsons fans are marveling at another “prediction” they believe the show made about modern politics. The Simpsons has become infamous for eerily prescient jokes made years in advance of events that seem to mimic them later on. In this case, a bit from Season 4 seems to have a lot in common with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s recent scandal.

Cruz came under fire this week for flying to Cancún, Mexico to escape the historic natural disaster hitting his state. The move was not unlike one made by The Simpsons‘ fictional Springfield Mayor Quimby in Season 4, Episode 21, “Marge in Chains,” when the town is hit by a flu-like pandemic. In a clip circulating now on social media, Quimby promises his constituents he has “canceled” his vacation to the Bahamas to stay and stick out the pandemic with them. However, the camera pulls back to reveal he is making the address on the beach, with a fake backdrop behind him.

The episode first premiered in May of 1993, and many commenters marveled at how relevant it is today. This is not the first time The Simpsons has been credited with “predicting” the future. Many fans now comb through the series looking for prescient story lines like this one. According to KnowYourMeme, the “Simpsons predictions” online phenomenon goes back to at least 2006.

“The Simpsons is the Noatradamus of our age. In fact, with a much better hit ratio,” one fan tweeted. Another added: “It’s a Simpson‘s world and we are all just extras.”

Simpsons screenwriter Josh Weinstein, who co-wrote the episode in question, even weighed in on this phenomenon. He tweeted: “As one of the co-authors of this joke, I’d love to take credit as a time-traveling wizard but the sad truth is just that Ted Cruz is such a cartoonish politician, he acted this out for all of us in real life.”

Cruz was spotted flying to the resort town of Cancún as millions of his constituents suffered without electricity, potable water and heat in the midst of a cataclysmic winter storm. The New York Times obtained leaked text messages between Cruz’s wife Heidi and her friends, where she revealed they were heading to a swanky Ritz-Carlton hotel in Mexico. She confirmed that they were leaving because their house was “FREEZING,” disputing Cruz’s claim that he was just accompanying his daughters to “be a good dad.”

Texas remains in crisis mode at the time of this writing, with power still out and supplies growing scarce, according to a report by CBS News. Cruz returned to the state on Thursday but continues to face ridicule and demands for him to resign.