The "Celebrity Cameos and Viral Internet Stars" (Episode: "The Springfield Connection", 1997)

The Simpsons has earned quite the reputation for seemingly predicting the future. It’s actually a bit of a meme at this point, with fans pointing out how many things in the real world appear to have been "predicted" by the show, sometimes years in advance. While some of these predictions are purely coincidental or the result of broad satire, others do seem oddly prescient.

The "Celebrity Cameos and Viral Internet Stars" (Episode: "The Springfield Connection", 1997)

• What happened: The episode features an influx of guest celebrities and even some pop culture figures who become famous for bizarre reasons.
• Reality: In the 2010s, the rise of social media platforms like YouTube, Vine, and TikTok created an entire generation of viral celebrities, many of whom became stars for unconventional reasons (e.g., viral challenges, meme creation, and internet pranks).