FACT CHECK: Did ‘The Simpsons’ Depict Donald Trump In A Casket?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on Facebook claims to show a screen grab from an episode of “The Simpsons” depicting President Donald Trump lying dead in a casket.

Verdict: False

The image does not appear in “The Simpsons.” It has been circulating on 4chan and other websites since at least 2017.

Fact Check: 

The alleged screen grab of a scene from “The Simpsons” circulated widely on Facebook after Trump announced on Twitter early Friday that he and the first lady had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. In the image, a cartoon version of the president appears to be lying in an open casket.

“Lets be patient,” the caption reads. “The Simpsons ain’t lied yet.” (RELATED: Did ‘The Simpsons’ Predict The Coronavirus Outbreak?)

While episodes of “The Simpsons” have featured a cartoon version of Trump on multiple occasions, a review of the show’s 32-season catalogue on Amazon Prime turned up no evidence “The Simpsons” depicted Trump in such a manner. The image, which the fact-checking website Snopes previously debunked, has been circulating on the forum website 4chan and elsewhere since at least 2017.

Twitter users shared the image earlier this year, falsely claiming “The Simpsons” predicted Trump would die on Aug. 27, The Independent reported. The claim about the Aug. 27 prediction stemmed from a TikTok video intended to satirize conspiracy theories, according to the outlet.

Some fans believe “The Simpsons” has accurately predicted future events on a number of occasions, including The Walt Disney Company owning 20th Century Fox and Trump becoming president, according to Business Insider. Bill Oakley, a former writer for “The Simpsons,” told The Hollywood Reporter that “there are very few cases where The Simpsons predicted something.”

Check Your Fact has previously debunked claims that “The Simpsons” predicted the COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis police custody.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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