The Simpsons’ chilling predictions for 2026 that could actually come true
The long-running animated series The Simpsons is known for making spooky predictions, and it looks like 2026 is no exception.
The hit show, which first aired in 1989, boasts many episodes that remind us years – and sometimes even decades later – of many important events around the world.
He predicted both Joe Biden and Donald Trump becoming president, Twitter turning into X, Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl performance, and even COVID-19.
And the predictions for next year are no less strange.
In 2026, fans are focusing on stories connected to World War III, a new super flu strain, the dominance of artificial intelligence in the workplace, smart homes, and even aliens.
Although some of the predictions were not tied to specific dates, careful viewers linked them to recent events that might indicate they were on the horizon.
Below, the Daily Mail looks at the episodes that could herald a very interesting year ahead.
Artificial intelligence is taking over
In the 2012 episode of The Simpsons called Them, Robot, artificial intelligence becomes even more powerful and takes over the jobs of people in Springfield, the town where the series is set.
In season 23, Mr. Burns replaces most of his factory workers with robots, and the robots attack him before the employees he eventually fires come to his rescue.
Last year, from ChatGPT to Google Gemini, we’ve seen more people embrace AI to solve and workshop everything from diets to exercises to therapy.
Some companies are now incorporating it into the workplace, with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon telling Fox News that AI will ‘eliminate jobs’; But this is no reason to panic.
“This doesn’t mean people won’t have other jobs,” he said last month.
‘My advice to people is to think critically. Learn the skills. Learn how to be good at communication, how to write. You’ll have a lot of work.’
In the 2012 episode of The Simpsons called Them, Robot, artificial intelligence becomes even more powerful and takes over the jobs of people in Springfield, the town where the series is set.
space tourism
In 1994, The Simpsons suggested space travel to the public as a possibility by sending Homer into space.
In a season 5 episode titled Deep Space Homer, the donut lover sent off a shuttle with astronaut Buzz Aldrin as part of NASA’s public relations effort to make space travel more exciting for the general public.
Meanwhile, a 2014 episode saw Sir Richard Branson relaxing in space, but fast forward to 2021 where we see the 74-year-old businessman launching himself into the final frontier.
In fact, last year an all-female crew, including singer Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King and activist Amanda Nguyen, embarked on a brief suborbital journey into space that was met with violent backlash.
The Blue Origin flight has been widely criticized for its environmental impact, but the space trip could signal the beginning of a surge in space tourism.
In 1994, The Simpsons suggested space travel to the public as a possibility by sending Homer on a shuttle with Buzz Aldrin in an episode of the fifth season.
New super flu will hit
There are ‘skyrocketing’ cases of a new super flu strain in many US states, with the CDC showing a ‘very high’ flu spread in New York City.
Perhaps we should be cautious going forward, given that The Simpsons predicted a health crisis and the social consequences that came with it more than 30 years ago.
In the 1993 episode titled Marge in Chains, a fictional virus spreads from Japan to Springfield via shipping crates.
The episode also deconstructs the social collapse brought on by widespread panic from the disease, with the town rioting for the cure that is Marge’s pastry.
This episode also resurfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Simpsons predicted a health crisis and its attendant social consequences 30 years ago
Smart technology will take over our homes
Technology has long been infiltrating our daily lives; But it seems the Simpsons explored the smart home idea years ago.
In the 2001 episode Treehouse of Horror XII, the eponymous family moves into a voice-controlled house that rules their daily lives.
But the house becomes more dangerous the longer one lives there, which could be a warning to anyone outfitting their home with smart technology.
environmental disasters
Environmental crises have come up many times throughout The Simpsons’ history.
A severe snowstorm hits Springfield in the 1992 episode Homer the Heretic, while in The Simpsons Movie the town faces an ecological disaster caused by toxic waste dumped into the lake.
The Simpsons may be on to something once again, as the first few days of the year see a ‘nationwide storm’ threatening millions across the country.
Aliens are coming to Earth
In the 1997 episode titled The Springfield Files, two FBI agents investigate Homer’s claim that he saw an alien.
And discovering extraterrestrial life on Earth may not be too far away.
In 2025, one of Britain’s leading space scientists declared that he was ‘absolutely convinced’ that aliens existed and that they would be found within the next 50 years.
In the 1997 episode titled The Springfield Files, two FBI agents investigate Homer’s claim that he saw an alien.
end of the world
In the season 16 episode Hallelujah, Judgment Day, Homer becomes convinced that the world is ending after watching a movie about the Rapture.
By calculating the Rapture date, Homer convinces him that the world will end in a week, causing him to gain a following.
However, his prediction fails and he realizes that he made a calculation error and has a short time left, causing him to ascend to heaven alone and convince God to postpone the apocalypse for everyone.
In season 16, Homer becomes convinced that the world is ending after watching a movie about The Rapture.
World War III prediction
Since The Simpsons first aired, there have been many references to World War Three.
In a 1987 short, Homer believes that the third world war has begun and insists that the family go to a homemade shelter for protection.
In a 1995 season 6 episode of Lisa’s Wedding, Lisa’s English fiancé Hugh Parkfield visits Moe’s Tavern in the future with Homer and Bart, where they mention World War II and reference a global conflict that followed.
Moe acknowledges that Hugh is English and calls him ‘2. He says they saved their asses in World War II.
In reply Hugh says: ‘3. We saved your ass in World War II,’ and Moe replies, ‘That’s true.’
