- A rumor spread online that The Simpsons showed the politician getting shot
- A picture of a yellow, Simpsons-ified version of him laying in a coffin went viral
- But showrunner Matt Selman said that never happened in the series
The creator of The Simpsons has shut down rumors that the Fox series ‘predicted’ the Donald Trump rally shooting after a fake cartoon image of the former President lying in a casket circulated online.
The animated classic has earned a reputation for depicting various events in the show, only for them to happen in real life years later.
So after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate Donald, 78, on Saturday, a rumor started to spread on social media that the series once included a scene that showed the politician getting killed in a shooting.
A picture of a yellow, Simpsons-ified version of the former President laying in a coffin quickly went viral.
But according to showrunner Matt Selman, this event never actually happened in the show, confirming to DailyMail.com that the now-viral grab was certainly not real.
The creator of the Simpsons has shut down rumors that the Fox series ‘predicted’ the Donald Trump shooting after a ‘fake’ image of him lying in a casket during the show circulated online
Showrunner Matt Selman told TMZ, ‘Anyone who thinks The Simpsons would include such horrifying content on a family TV show doesn’t really watch the show at all’
‘This sad phenomenon is an awful by-product of the terrifying nature of the Age of Disinformation in which we currently live,’ he said.
‘That some anonymous internet rascal can create what are obviously fake images and people are so ready to believe they are real boggles the mind.
‘Anyone who thinks The Simpsons would include such horrifying content on a family TV show doesn’t really watch the show or have any understanding of The Simpsons at all.’
Matt reiterated his point to Reuters, adding, ‘The image of Donald Trump in a coffin never appeared on The Simpsons. It is doctored.
‘Sadly it is all too easy to create fake Simpsons “predictions” like these for the purpose of misleading people.’
It turns out, the fake image of Trump in the coffin has been circulating since 2017.
According to Snopes, it originated on 4chan, but the person who first created it is not known.
Despite the outlet previously proving that it was fake, it was reposted thousands of times following Saturday’s horrific shooting.
The animated classic has earned a reputation for depicting various events in the show, only for them to happen in real life years later
After 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks allegedly attempted to assassinate Donald, 78, on Saturday, a rumor started to spread that The Simpsons had done it again
‘The Simpsons got some explaining to do,’ one person wrote alongside the doctored image.
‘Ain’t no f**king way. The Simpsons predicted this too?’ someone else asked.
A different user added, ‘Simpsons ain’t never miss.’
While this time it was fake, The Simpsons has successfully predicted a lot of stuff – from the Siegfried and Roy tiger attack to Donald running for President.
In a 2000 episode, Lisa Simpson became President of the United States and referenced Donald’s presidency – 16 years before he actually took office.
The fake image has been circulating since 2017, and despite Snopes previously proving that it was made up, it was reposted thousands of times following Saturday’s horrific shooting
Channel 4 pulled an episode that planned to air on Sunday which featured a shooter, following the attempted assassination against Trump
While this time it was fake, The Simpsons has successfully predicated a lot of stuff – from Disney buying 20th Century Fox to Donald running for President
Other things that happened in the show that later occurred in real life include Lady Gaga performing at the Super Bowl and the Siegfried and Roy tiger attack
In the same episode, her dad, Homer, can be seen flying past a billboard in the background, which reads, ‘Trump 2024.’
Other things that happened in the show that later occurred in real life included Disney buying 20th Century Fox, Lady Gaga performing at the Super Bowl, and the Bengt. R. Holmström winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
The show made headlines earlier this week after it was revealed that Channel 4 was pulling an episode that was planned to air on Sunday which featured a shooter, following the attempted assassination against Trump.
In the episode, which originally came out in 1996, a shooter could be seen perched on a building as a public gathering took place nearby – imagery that is hauntingly similar to the incident at Trump’s rally.