Fans insist The Simpsons predicted Titanic sub disaster 17 years ago

The Simpsons fans are once again insisting the show has predicted the future, with an episode 17 years ago bearing striking similarities to the sub disaster.

Has The Simpsons once again predicted the future?

Fans are insisting that once again The Simpsons has predicted the future.

In the past, the animated TV show has seemingly prophesied bizarre historical events which actually came to pass, such as Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential run and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

This time, the show may have predicted the disappearance of the OceanGate submersible that was exploring the ruins of the Titanic, reports the New York Post.

Tragically, authorities confirmed on Friday that they have found a “debris field” near the famous wreckage, which makes it likely the submersible suffered a “catastrophic implosion”, killing all five people on-board.

Originally airing in 2006, Season 17’s 10th episode, titled “Homer’s Paternity Coot,” features Homer Simpson’s long-lost father, Mason Fairbanks, giving a rather chilling speech before going under the sea with his son.

“Today I am filled with joy. Searching for treasure with my long-lost son. My dream for each of you is that you find the happiness I feel today,” declared Fairbanks.

The Simpsons episode aired 17 years ago.

After exploring for a bit, the duo comes across the remains of a massive ship filled to the brim with treasure.

Simpson, after radioing his friends to tell them of the find, manages to accidentally get the submersible stuck within a portion of the barrier reef.

Starting to panic, Simpson attempts to wrench himself free only for the sub’s “low oxygen” light to begin flashing before he descends into a coma.

The episode bears some eerie similarities to this week’s tragic events.

Thankfully, it’s a happy ending for the character as he awakens three days later surrounded by his family.

The recently resurfaced clip has been causing waves of shock and awe on Twitter.

“Count on The Simpson to always predict some s**t,” said one social media user.

“Before I do anything dangerous ima make sure ‘The Simpsons’ haven’t made an episode of it yet cos how the f**k did they predict the #Titanic Submarine incident,” tweeted a second person.

“The Simpson writers should be investigated because this is insane,” joked a third person.

“I do not know what surprises them of the lost submarine in the Atlantic that went down to see the remains of the Titanic, the Simpsons had already warned us,” echoed a fourth person.

Oddly enough, veteran Simpsons writer-producer Mike Reiss himself descended 13,000 feet in the vessel to see the wreckage of the Titanic last July, after paying US$100,000 (A$148,000) for a ticket.

Reiss and his wife Denise flew from New York to St. John’s, Newfoundland, before getting aboard the MV Polar Prince en route to the wreckage site 643 kilometres away.

As the Simpsons sub episode began recirculating again this week, Reiss told the Post that the episode was actually inspired by a film.

“We did that episode because the movie Crimson Tide had just come out,” he said of the 1995 film starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman. “We didn’t predict the future, we just did it off that movie and 20 years later, something like that happened.”

Reiss and his wife visited the site themselves last year. Picture: OceanGate/Facebook

The small submersible, owned by OceanGate Expeditions, reportedly vanished about an hour and 45 minutes into the trip on Sunday.

Since then, rescue teams had been working around the clock in an attempt to rescue the five passengers on-board, before their tragic deaths were confirmed on Friday.

The submersible, Titan, lost communication on Sunday, sparking an emergency mission.

Meanwhile, this is not the first time an OceanGate sub has gotten lost.

In 2022, the $250,000 experience went dark for a few hours after it lost the signal from the ship that was guiding the vessel.

OceanGate Exploration has also faced several questions regarding the submersible’s safety.

In 2018, the group dealt with “quality control and safety” problems after the former director of marine operations, David Lochridge, said that he raised an issue with the company’s handling of the submersible.

Lochridge claimed that he found a “lack of non-destructive testing performed on the hull of the Titan,” and when he raised the issues with OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, he was wrongfully terminated, according to a lawsuit he filed that year.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Fans insist The Simpsons predicted Titanic sub disaster 17 years ago