Even if the laughs it inspires have waned, The Simpsons has still proven to be quite accurate in predicting events in and out of pop culture. To date, the long-running animated series has already called a Nobel Prize winner, a Yoko Ono exhibit, and, perhaps most disturbingly, the Trump presidency. Now Simpsons writers can pat themselves on the backs for foreseeing Lady Gaga’s recent halftime show. The Joanne artist went solo for the Big Game performance, singing a medley of her hits that opened with a subtle jab at Super Bowl LI attendee and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. The Simpsons didn’t guess we’d have such a homophobic leader in the White House, but the series did envision much of Lady Gaga’s performance in its season 23 finale “Lisa Goes Gaga.”
Gaga’s glitzy onesie, the piano bench straddling, “let’s embrace ourselves and each other” message, and wire act were all part of her Simpsons “Little Monsters” mash in May 2012, as well as this year’s halftime show. It’s not one of the more eerily prescient examples, but if season 28 ends with the world on fire, we might cause for concern.