Factcheck: Did The Simpsons predict the 9/11 attacks? Why a 1997 episode was pulled after Al-Qaeda hit World Trade Centre

Over the years, The Simpsons has built an odd reputation for “predicting the future.” From Donald Trump’s presidency to other pop culture events, online conspiracy theories often claim the cartoon’s writers have hidden foresight. So when one of its episodes was pulled from broadcast in the wake of the September 11th terror attacks, many were quick to link it to the tragedy.

The episode at the centre of the theory

The controversy comes from the ninth season’s opening episode, The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson, first aired in September 1997. The episode followed the family’s chaotic trip to New York, much of it centred on the World Trade Centre. Critics praised it, and the show even won an Emmy for one of its original songs. But after 9/11, the episode was withdrawn from syndication because of its heavy use of the Twin Towers as a backdrop. It only returned in 2006, with edits to remove several pointed references, including a joke about Tower One.

Why do people think that The Simpsons predict 9/11?

Online theories often point to a scene where Lisa holds up a brochure promoting a $9 bus fare to New York. Behind the number 9, the Twin Towers are visible, making the image resemble “9/11.” This, conspiracy theorists argue, shows the series foreshadowed the attacks.

What do the creators say?

Showrunner Al Jean dismissed the claims in an interview with The New York Times. “There is a frame where there’s a brochure that says New York at $9 a day, and behind the nine are the twin towers,” he said. “So they look like an 11, and it looks like a 9/11. That one is a completely bizarre, strange thing,” he added.

Bill Oakley, who co-wrote the episode, explained that the ad design was simply practical. “$9 was picked as a comically cheap fare. To make an ad for it, the artist logically chose to include a silhouette of NYC. I signed off on the design. It’s pretty self-explanatory. And I will grant that it’s eerie given that it’s on the only episode of any series ever that had an entire act of World Trade Centre jokes,” he said.

Coincidence, not prediction

Despite the theories, there is no evidence that The Simpsons “predicted” 9/11. The imagery was a coincidence, and gave fuel to the conspiracy theories due to the fact that the episode featured the Twin Towers more heavily than any other sitcom at the time.