The Simpsons did not predict the death of Donald Trump, despite claims that have gone viral on Twitter.
A number of tweets have claimed that an episode of The Simpsons predicted that Trump would die on 27 August, 2020. Many of the tweets also feature a doctored image of an animated Trump lying in a coffin, and drawn to look like it was sourced from a Simpsons episode.
The false claims stem from a TikTok video published in June that is designed to satirise conspiracy theories. In it, a young woman suggests that those viewing the video have been “chosen” and that they need to “remember the date August 27th – it is important”.
This inexplicably morphed into claims that Trump would die on 27 August, and that The Simpsons had predicted that his death would occur.
Numerous Twitter users continue to ask about the fake story. “okayokay so i just heard that the Simpsons predicted that Donald trump will die tomorrow?” wrote one user.
Another tweeted: “Did Donald Trump die yet as the Simpsons said?”
The Simpsons has long been at the centre of conspiracy theories that it has predicted real-life events.
In March, a 1993 episode of the animated sitcom, that involved characters being infected by a so-called “Osaka flu”, was speculated to have predicted coronavirus.
The suggestion was shot down by the episode’s writer Bill Oakley, who condemned fans for spreading “gross and terrible” jokes about the pandemic.
donald trump is supposed to die tomorrow according to the Simpson’s.
— Syd Divine 💎 • READINGS: OPEN (@DIVINEOPAQUE) August 26, 2020
A 2000 episode of the show joked that Donald Trump would one day be elected US president, while the 2007 film version of the series featured Tom Hanks, voicing himself, being placed under quarantine.
Hanks was one of the first celebrities to be diagnosed with coronavirus this year, and placed himself in self-imposed isolation as a result.
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