FACT CHECK: Did ‘The Simpsons’ Predict The Canadian ‘Freedom Convoy’ Protest?
A video shared on Facebook claims an episode of “The Simpsons” predicted the “Freedom Convoy” trucker rally in Canada.
Verdict: False
The video consists of scenes from two different episodes of the show. The screaming heard in the video was digitally inserted into the clip.
Fact Check:
Thousands of Canadian truckers and their supporters have driven in convoys to Ottawa to protest against a new federal vaccine mandate that would require truckers to quarantine after crossing back over the Canadian border if they are unvaccinated, according to BBC. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticized the protest, which has been dubbed the “Freedom Convoy,” as “an insult to memory and truth,” the outlet reported.
A video shared on Facebook claims the comedy series “The Simpsons” predicted the turn of events. The video shows what appears to be a 20-second clip from an unnamed episode of the show that includes two scenes. The first scene shows Bart and Homer Simpson, characters in the show, in a semi-truck that is being followed by a convoy of other semi-trucks. The subsequent scene shows a character resembling Trudeau screaming and shouting as he crawls out the window of a building marked with Canadian flags.
“The Simpsons strike again,” reads the video’s caption. “Sure does look like Trudeau at the end. Word on the street os (sic) Trudeau has fled to hide as a massive trucker strike heads to Ottawa. Funny how those Simpsons predict things.” (RELATED: Does This Image Show ‘The Simpsons’ Predicting Prince Philip’s Death?)
The video, however, is a combination of scenes from two separate episodes. Check Your Fact traced the first clip to a 1999 episode titled “Maximum Homerdrive.” In the episode, Homer Simpson takes his son Bart Simpson on a cross-country trip on behalf of a trucker who died, according to the plot synopsis on IMDb.
The second scene featured in the Facebook video comes from a 2019 episode titled “D’oh Canada,” in which Lisa Simpson, another character from the show, is mistakenly given Canadian citizenship, according to IMDb. In the scene, the character of Trudeau is talking with Lisa Simpson via video when he crawls out the window. The screaming heard in the version of the scene shared on Facebook has been digitally inserted into the clip.
All 32 seasons of “The Simpsons” can be streamed on Disney Plus.
This is not the first time misinformation about the show has spread on social media. In April 2021, Check Your Fact debunked a viral Facebook image that purportedly showed a scene from the show in which a character predicts the date of Prince Philip’s death.
