The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has riffed on the idea that the beloved animated sitcom has frequently predicted the future by offering new forecasts about Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the show’s own longevity.
The 71-year-old cartoonist and writer was appearing at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend to promote the show’s upcoming 37th season.
As Variety reports, Groening said he believed the show would keep going until one of the central cast dies.
“I honestly thought 36 was where we were going to end it,” he laughed. “No, there’s no end in sight. We’re going to keep going. We’re going to go until somebody dies.”
He then seemed to jokingly predict how America might react to the death of President Trump, saying: “When you-know-who dies, The Simpsons predicts there will be dancing in the streets. Until President Vance bans dancing in the streets.”
Other predictions offered by Groening included the fate of Trump’s sometime ally Elon Musk, with the cartoonist joking: “The Simpsons predicts Elon Musk will be the first man to land on Mars. Amazingly, he will crash land on Mars. But he will radio back that he is marooned there forever. And most emotionally of all, he will be able to hear the cheering all the way.”
Groening added: “America will return the Statue of Liberty to France and North America remembers what the word Liberty means.
“The Simpsons predicts kids across America will liberate their Republican parents from the cult of MAGA. And here’s how you do it. Grab the TV remote, go to menu, go to controls, vertical controls, look for channel list and delete Fox News.”
At the same event The Simpsons revealed the celebrity guests who will appear next season, including a father and son reunion.
The show will feature the voices of Kieran Culkin, Glenn Howerton, Albert Brooks, Cole Escola, Danny Pudi, Adam Pally, and Brendan and Domhnall Gleeson.
Last month, Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman issued a statement after fans reacted in shock to the apparent death of Marge Simpson.
In the finale of the show’s 36th season, an episode set 35 years in the future depicts Homer kneeling at his wife’s grave, with a tombstone reading, “Beloved wife, mother, pork‑chop seasoner,” as Sarah McLachlan sings “Marge passed before Homer, if you can believe it.”
However, Selman told Variety that Marge’s death cannot be considered canon because: “There is no canon. The Simpsons doesn’t even have canon!”
He pointed to the numerous contradictory flash-forwards that have happened over the years, saying: “Obviously since theThe Simpsons future episodes are all speculative fantasies, they’re all different every time. Marge will probably never be dead ever again. The only place Marge is dead is in one future episode that aired six weeks ago.”
