The Simpsons have predicted many things in this world, including Trump’s presidency, but it turns out the theory that they predicted the coronavirus outbreak that’s currently circulating the internet is nothing more than a hoax.

It’s difficult to tell where exactly this rumour started, but a quick search of “The Simpsons coronavirus” on Twitter will show hundreds of tweets asserting the same general idea.

According to Twitter users, The Simpsons apparently predicted the coronavirus outbreak back in 1993. The 21st episode of season 4, entitled Marge In Chains, is believed to have “predicted” the coronavirus.

However, as a certified The Simpsons expert, I am here to inform you that this is all a hoax.

The episode in question, Marge In Chains, may look like it predicted the coronavirus, but it was actually referencing the fictional “Osaka flu.”

In the episode, a Japanese assembly line worker coughs into a box of a “Juice Loosener,” which is then shipped to Springfield where it infects many of the townspeople.

“Please don’t tell the supervisor I have the flu,” the worker says before coughing into a box addressed to Homer Simpson.

When you look at the scenes as nothing more than still images, most of them look like they actually did predict the coronavirus outbreak. You can watch them in sequence in this video.

However, the final image of a news reporter reading a story that looks to be about the coronavirus outbreak is actually just a hoax.

The original image has the words “Apocalypse Meow” written across it, not “Corona Virus.”

Honestly, I’m surprised nobody remembers this episode. This was PEAK The Simpsons era. It’s literally the episode after Whacking Day. Season 4 of The Simpsons is one of the greatest seasons of all time, featuring Mr Plow, Marge vs Monorail and Whacking Day, just to name a few.

If you see a claim that The Simpsons predicted something, you can literally just look it up. There are countless databases online that will give you all of the episode information your heart could ever desire.

Regardless of how dead easy it is to fact check your Simpsons episodes, this theory has gone viral on Twitter.

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, folks. Heck, you don’t even have to believe me. You can google it for yourself right now.

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Image: The Simpsons