Did The Simpsons Predict The Epstein Files? Why The Internet Thinks So

For decades now, The Simpsons has lived with a strange reputation. It is not just a long-running animated sitcom about a chaotic yellow family.

It is the show that keeps "predicting" the future. From smart watches and video calls to a certain businessman becoming US President, fans have repeatedly scrolled back through old episodes and gasped.

Now, the Internet is doing it again. This time, the frenzy centres around the Epstein files, with many online asking: did The Simpsons hint at it all those years ago?

What makes this round of speculation more intense is that Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, has been mentioned in Epstein-related court documents.

That detail alone has been enough to send social media into overdrive, with some users claiming he "knew everything beforehand" and that the show's storylines were not predictions but "inside jokes".

Here is what is actually known.

What Is On Record

In unsealed 2019 court documents, Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre described giving Groening a foot massage on Epstein's private jet during a short flight from California when she was 16.

She portrayed him as 'polite and did not allege further misconduct'.

More recently, a 2026 Department of Justice document mentioned Groening in a casual email about introducing him to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus for a potential Simpsons cameo. Now, once his name resurfaced, conspiracy theories surged.

The 'Island' Theory

The episode at the centre of it all is Season 12's The Computer Wore Menace Shoes, which aired in 2000. In it, Homer, the protagonist, discovers the 'Internet' and launches a gossip blog under the alias "Mr X".

After running out of real scoops, he fabricates stories. Ironically, one of his made-up reports turns out to be true. As 'punishment', Homer is kidnapped by a shadowy group and taken to a mysterious island where powerful figures control global affairs.

A still from the episode. Photo: FOX

The dialogue has become viral fodder. We also picked some of these dialogues from the episode.

"No one leaves the Island," the owners of the island warned him. Later, Homer after running away from the island types that "some creeps on an island somewhere are secretly running the world." The episode ends with the ominous line, "See you on the island. Yes, the Island."

Online users have drawn parallels to Jeffrey Epstein's Little Saint James and Great Saint James islands, often collectively referred to as "Epstein Island", where he was accused of sexually abusing and trafficking underage girls. Epstein died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.

On X, one user wrote, "The Simpsons were the first to tell us about the Epstein Files."

Another posted, "The Simpsons warned us about what was happening on Epstein's island."

Others went further, claiming the episode "proves involvement".

The Viral Stephen Hawking Clip

The speculation has not stopped there. A separate viral clip shows Lisa sitting on Stephen Hawking's lap in the Season 10 episode They Saved Lisa's Brain.

Although the storyline is unrelated to Epstein, Hawking's name appeared in some Epstein-related documents, prompting online chatter. The still image alone was enough for some to declare it "another prediction".

1999 Simpsons predicted Steve Hawkins going to Epstein Island years before he did?pic.twitter.com/bYCXnzOLsu

— Donna Marie (@sabback) February 8, 2026

Please note that there no evidence that The Simpsons storyline was based on inside knowledge of Epstein's activities.

Still, the mythology around the show persists.

In earlier years, viewers pointed to references to Ebola before outbreaks gained global attention, a futuristic London skyline that resembled The Shard years before its completion, and Lisa becoming president in a purple suit that many later compared to Kamala Harris' inauguration look.

Coincidence? Cultural satire? Links to Reality? Or simply a show that has been running so long it was bound to overlap with reality? You decide.