Fans Are Losing It Over The Kamala Harris Prediction From The Simpsons

"The Simpsons" has gained renown over the last few years for its fairly accurate, Nostradamus-like ability to seemingly predict the future. The latest example of the sitcom's precognition may be predicting a more immediate future that's yet to come. Fans have noted that in the flash-forward episode "Bart to the Future," Lisa Simpson (Yeardley Smith) becomes president. Wearing purple and pearls, she finds herself coping with a budget crunch left behind by the previous president, Donald Trump. Solving the financial gap threatens to ruin her popularity, as it means raising taxes. Unsurprisingly, a lot of fans think Lisa's victory presages one for Vice President Kamala Harris, whom many are expecting to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential hopeful in November's election.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, @boris_beissner noted that the outfit the adult Lisa wears resembles the one Harris wore to her inauguration as vice president, with even their pearl necklaces matching. "The Simpsons creators are clairvoyants. Or did @KamalaHarris have a private joke?" wondered @jessicacadams. "The Simpsons as Prophetic has become one of the most enduring mysteries of our times," remarked @ZWardynski. Concluded @Jassi22G_, "If Kamala Harris wins the U.S. presidency elections, I'll start watching The Simpsons instead of the news."

The images of Lisa and Vice President Harris spread far and wide over the internet, eventually causing one of the show's staff members to take note.

Viral images of Lisa Simpson placed side-by-side with Vice President Kamala Harris gained so much attention that "The Simpsons" writer and co-showrunner Al Jean took note. Posting to his X account, he wrote, "@TheSimpsons 'prediction' I'm proud to be a part of," attaching pictures of Lisa and Harris in similar outfits. 

The show's writers have long been aware of the show's impact on pop culture and real-life events. Sometimes, they make those statements on purpose. "Bart to the Future" writer Dan Greaney previously commented on his then-outlandish choice to make Donald Trump president in the "Simpsons" world. "It was a warning to America. And that just seemed like the logical last stop before hitting bottom. It was pitched because it was consistent with the vision of America going insane," he told The Hollywood Reporter. He added that Trump was chosen as a figurehead because Lisa needed to triumph against impossible odds, which the Trump presidency provides her with. To Greaney, it's just one more example of the way "The Simpsons" parodies American cultural excess. 

While Lisa's foreshadowing of Vice President Harris' outfit and run may or may not point to a future truth, "The Simpsons" has — often by suggesting things that seem too outlandish to be true at the time — managed to predict events many more times over the years.

Putting aside Donald Trump's presidential victory, "The Simpsons" has freakishly predicted dozens of future events that have been echoed by reality over the years. To wit: "Lisa's Wedding" predated the existence of FaceTime by decades — the episode aired in 1995, and video chatting became an available option for consumers in 2010. And 1998's "When You Dish Upon a Star" includes a visual gag that says 20th Century Fox is now a division of the Walt Disney Company — which it became in 2017.

The best example of this just might be the time that "The Simpsons" managed to predict the winner of the Super Bowl ... over three times. "Lisa The Greek" aired just before Super Bowl XXVI, and the show's writers managed to correctly predict a Washington victory over the Buffalo Bills. The next year, Fox redubbed the episode for broadcast before Super Bowl XXVII — and correctly predicted the Dallas Cowboys' win. They redubbed it for for Super Bowl XXVIII as well, and once again predicted the correct outcome. Perhaps the series' writers should open a betting parlor.