Fact Check: Did 'The Simpsons' Predict the "QAnon Shaman"?

On Jan. 6, 2021, the world watched while a pro-Trump mob descended on the U.S. Capitol. Many were armed with weapons, some waved Confederate flags and pro-Trump flags, and the images that came out of the insurrection were surreal to say the least. Some of the rioters have been identified, included one man whose images are perhaps the most surreal of all.  

Jacob Chansley, better known as Jake Angeli or the "QAnon shaman," donned a furry Viking helmet, tan pants, and red, white, and blue face paint, and broke into the Capitol. The images of him have quickly gone viral, but so has an image of a Simpsons characters who looks very, very similar to him, which has made many think that, once again, The Simpsons predicted the future. But is Jake Angeli another Simpsons' prediction?

While some tried to figure out if Jake Angeli was inspired by a Groundskeeper Willie costume or if The Simpsons just predicted Jake Angeli's existence, the real answer was a little simpler. The viral image of Groundskeeper Willie, shirtless, with Angeli's tattoos, face paint, and hat, waving an American flag, is just photoshopped. It appears that the original image comes from a Simpsons' mobile game.

This fact was further confirmed by The Simpsons' executive producer, Matt Selman. He tweeted the image alongside one of Angeli, writing, "To clarify: [The Simpsons] did not PREDICT this. Someone made this yesterday AFTER it happened."

That one's real. To be fair, though, it wasn't a long ago episode. It only aired Nov. 1, 2020, and it was meant to parody election day, which would take place just two days later. The short segment was at the start of Season 32's "Treehouse of Horror XXXI." 

In it, we see Marge calling Homer while she's standing in line to vote, reminding him to cast his own vote, while he's at home in a hammock. We then cut to Homer running into the voting booth, questioning who to vote for president, before Lisa interrupts and asks how he could even be considering who to vote for at this point, knowing everything that has happened for the past four years.

"Not sure what you're talking about," Homer says, before the screen fills with a scroll of things President Trump has done since his run for the presidency in 2016, like "put children in cages," "called Mexicans rapists," "imitated disabled reporter," and "called white supremacists 'fine people.'"

Homer then casts his vote — except that it was all just a dream and he actually slept through the election. "You slept all day? You didn't vote?" Marge asks. 

"Hey, how bad could it be?" Homer says.

Cut to the now-viral image of Homer on his roof with a rifle and makeshift armor, drinking a beer with the city burning around him, on Jan. 20, 2021. Here's hoping this doesn't end up being a real prediction.