The soothsayers in The Simpsons’ writers room may soon add another item to their list of predictions that came to pass: In addition to foreseeing the Trump presidency, Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl act, and a Nobel Prize winner, the animated sitcom also called the Disney-21st Century Fox merger that’s been in and out of talks. The 10th season episode, “When You Dish Upon A Star,” which saw Homer sucking up to Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, featured a billboard/sign that declared 21st Century Fox—then 20th Century Fox—a “division of Walt Disney Co.” Twitter user @rwmead offered up the screenshot evidence not long after the acquisition news broke.
Yesterday, CNBC reported that Disney was eyeing several News Corporation properties (though not the Fox news or sports networks), but no deal has been struck yet. Disney’s also been in the news for its media blackout of the Los Angeles Times.