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Did Simpsons predict Ukraine crisis? Showrunner Al Jean says 'was not hard to predict'

'Very sad to say this was not hard to predict,' Al Jean, who has been the producer, writer, and showrunner of the sitcom, tweeted

As Russia invades Ukraine, several users on social media have been sharing a scene from the animated sitcom 'The Simpsons', stating that it predicts the attack. The clip that has gone viral is from the episode Simpson Tide, which aired on March 29, 1998.

The 36-second long video features a discussion between the representatives of Russia and the United States at the United Nations building in New York. The Russian diplomat says, "The Soviet Union will be pleased to offer amnesty to your wayward vessel," to which the American representative asks, "The Soviet Union? I thought you guys broke up?"

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 The Russian diplomat laughs and says, "Yes! That's what we wanted you to think." He then pushes a button and switches the nameplate on his desk from 'Russia' to the 'Soviet Union' while he cackles maniacally. The clip then cuts to visuals of military tanks coming out of tableaus in Moscow, the Berlin Wall being rebuilt. Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet Union is resurrected, as he breaks the glass coffin he is placed in. He then walks like a zombie while saying, "Must crush capitalism."

"The Simpsons predicted the Crisis of #Putin, #Russia, #Ukraine and #Donetsk and #Luhansk way before it was cool [shocked emoji] [grinning emoji] #RussiaUkraineCrisis #Ukraina #ukrainerussia #USA," the user captioned the clip.

One user said, "Did Russia/Soviet Union promise the Ukraine their safety in 1991? Yes. Did the Simpsons predict this? Yep :) #RussiaUkraineConflict #RussiaUkraine #simpsons," while another tweeted, "the simpsons are basically a visual version of the library of babel." A third user wrote, "Lol at this point let me go rewatch the simpsons because obviously I was missing some things."

One user said, "Simpsons writers definitely had a time machine [grimacing emoji] [neutral emoji]," while another mused, "I need to watch the complete series again... I mean how many times can Simpsons be right... From Donald Trump, the pandemic, Russia..." A third replied, "that show is pure predictions of what to come," while a fourth commented, "Simpsons gotta share their time machine!!"

While a user noted, "Scary, but wise. No stupid series, very grown up," another felt, "This cartoon is scary wild at the things it foresees [grinning face with sweat emoji]" A third commented, "THE SIMPSONS ALWAYS PREDICTS EVERYTHING," and a fourth said, "This show predicts every shit happening in this word long back [x3 rolling eyes emoji]"

Meanwhile, Al Jean who has been the producer, writer, and showrunner of the sitcom tweeted, "@TheSimpsons Very sad to say this was not hard to predict."

"In terms of predictions, there are two kinds we have: The trivial, like Don Mattingly getting in trouble for his hair in 'Homer at the Bat' and then there are predictions like this. I hate to say it, but I was born in 1961, so 30 years of my life were lived with the specter of the Soviet Union. So, to me, this is sadly more the norm than it is a prediction. We just figured things were going to go bad," Jean explained to The Hollywood Reporter. "There is the kind of prediction, where we reference something that has happened, happening again — we hope it wouldn’t, but sadly, it does," he concluded.

This isn't the first time 'The Simpsons' has predicted an event. The show has gained a reputation for foretelling major events such as the election of Donald Trump as the US President, the Capitol Hill insurrection, among others. Here is a list of the major events that 'The Simpsons' predicted correctly in 2021.