The Simpsons writers have responded to the online suggestions that the TV show predicted Kamala Harris as the next Democratic nominee to run for president.
As previously reported, President Joe Biden pulled out from the 2024 US presidential race on Sunday (July 21) amid increasing pressure due to concerns over his age and health.
In his official statement, the 81-year-old said: "While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."
Biden shared in a follow-up post on X (formerly Twitter) that he is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee who should face Republican candidate Donald Trump.
After Biden's official announcement, social media users claimed that The Simpsons predicted the 59-year-old’s potential presidential run.
In the 2000 episode of the animated series titled Bart to the Future, Lisa Simpson becomes the first female president of the United States.
Viewers noticed similarities between the outfit the politician wore at the 2021 inauguration and Lisa’s outfit in the episode, which included pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, and a purple blazer.
The side-by-side pictures went viral on the platform and led to commentary from fans. "Simpsons does it again," one user wrote.
Another said: "This Simpsons as Prophetic has become one of the most enduring mysteries of our times!" and a third added: “It’s unnerving how often these predictions have been spot on."
The show's screenwriter, Al Jean, responded to the news of Harris’s forthcoming presidential run by sharing a side-by-side compilation of Lisa and the vice president in the same ensemble.
“@TheSimpsons ‘prediction’ I’m proud to be a part of,” he penned in the caption of the post, which amassed 36K likes as of the time of writing.
This is not the first time that the animated show appears to have foreseen major political events, such as Trump’s election to US president and the 2021 riots in Capitol Hill.
They also depicted Lisa nearly being murdered while standing on a rooftop, in a visual eerily similar to the assassination attempt on Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania earlier this month.
The 1996 episode, titled Lisa the Iconoclast, was withdrawn from airing in the UK the day after the ex-president was shot at.
Harris released a statement after Biden's endorsement, writing that she is "honored" to have his support, and made it clear that her "intention is to earn and win this nomination".
Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and members of the democratic party including Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have publically backed Harris.
Meanwhile, ex-President Barack Obama did not give her his endorsement as of now, instead stating that the delegates will pick an “outstanding nominee".
The official decision for Biden’s successor will be made on August 19 at the Democratic National Convention.