- 6/13/2025
From controversial sports figures to corrupt media moguls, our favorite yellow family has been surprisingly prophetic! Join us as we explore how America's most famous animated series predicted the downfall of various public figures and organizations through its signature satirical lens.
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00:00Are you going to talk about it or are you going to do it?
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:10And today we're looking at instances where the Simpsons warned us about terrible people,
00:14whether intentional or not.
00:18Red card!
00:19Let me give that back to you.
00:28Get out of here!
00:30Mark McGuire.
00:32Hopped up on Focusin', Bart becomes convinced that people are being spied on by Major League Baseball.
00:39Gotta get it done.
00:40Bart?
00:41Hey, gotta finish.
00:45Close the door.
00:47You're probably wondering about the coat hangers.
00:49They're to block the satellite that's been spying on me.
00:52It sounds like the mad ravings of an unstable kid, but Bart shoots the evidence out of the sky.
00:58Mark McGuire, voicing himself, concurs that Bart was right, although he distracts Springfield with a few dingers.
01:05MLB might not be playing Big Brother, yet numerous players, including McGuire, were embroiled in another conspiracy,
01:13the rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs.
01:16In 2010, McGuire confessed to using steroids during various periods of his career.
01:22This included the 1998 season, a year before this episode aired.
01:27While McGuire claims the drugs were for his health rather than performance, many who looked up to the home run hitter felt let down.
01:34Major League Baseball?
01:37I told you they were monitoring my activities.
01:40He's right.
01:42This thing's got info on everybody.
01:43Addresses, credit ratings, what size baseball hat they wear.
01:47Surveillance beam disabled.
01:49Morrissey.
01:50Sometimes it's better not to meet your heroes.
01:54Listening to the music of an artist named Quillaby, Lisa imagines what he's like in real life.
01:59Expectations clash with reality when Lisa encounters Quillaby in the flesh.
02:04Not only has he let himself go, but Quillaby is exposed as a hate-filled bigot who loves to play the victim.
02:11Shut your gobs, you wankers.
02:18Woo-hoo!
02:19Woo-hoo!
02:21Wankers!
02:22Can't you see this show is just a cash grab?
02:25I'm only here because I lost my fortune suing people for saying things about me that were completely true.
02:31While the writers drew inspiration from several real-life musicians, English singer Morrissey shares the most evident parallels.
02:39Like Quillaby, Morrissey has a long history of reportedly racist and xenophobic behavior.
02:45Although Morrissey has continually denied these accusations, others argue that his words speak for themselves.
02:52Morrissey hinted at pursuing legal action against The Simpsons, proving one of the points the episode was trying to get across.
03:00Okay, okay, okay, I'm gonna play a few songs off my new album.
03:04It's entitled Refugees Again.
03:07Rush Limbaugh.
03:10Season 6 introduces Birch Barlow, a conservative talk show host who appeals to the Homer Simpsons of the world.
03:17Station!
03:18KBBL Talk Radio, a now Springfield's favorite conservative and author of the well-selling book Only Turkeys Have Left Wings.
03:24Ladies and gentlemen, Birch Barlow.
03:27He also helps Sideshow Bob go from prison to the mayor's office.
03:30So, a far-right extremist who champions a criminal while demonizing himself sounds familiar.
03:42Hail, brothers!
03:44Coronon Sileria Uzumahok.
03:47Mahok.
03:48Mahok.
03:48Now then, gentlemen, the mayoral campaign is upon us.
03:52Barlow is a thinly-veiled parody of Rush Limbaugh, who was just starting to blow up when this episode aired in 1994.
04:00While Limbaugh died in 2021, many believe that his controversial worldviews and tendency to spout baseless conspiracy theories shaped the right-wing media as we now know it.
04:12In the 90s, Limbaugh was the loudest voice, but he was still just one voice.
04:18Today, there are countless Limbaugh's across radio, TV, and social media.
04:23But suppose for a second that your house was ransacked by thugs, your family tied up in the basement with socks in their mouths.
04:30You try to open the door, but there's too much blood on the knob.
04:34What is your question?
04:36My question's about the budget, sir.
04:37Oh.
04:38John D. Rockefeller.
04:41Mr. Burns is based on multiple figures, including fictional characters like Charles Foster Kane and one of Matt Groening's high school teachers.
04:56Smithers, where's that union representative?
04:58He's 20 minutes late.
05:01I don't know, sir.
05:02He hasn't been seen since he promised to clean up the union.
05:04Yet, Mr. Burns' greed is largely rooted in John D. Rockefeller, who monopolized the oil industry.
05:12This made Rockefeller one of the richest individuals who ever lived.
05:16He didn't accumulate that fortune by being ethical.
05:19Rockefeller was accused of crushing his competition through corrupt means.
05:23The New York world described Standard Oil as the most cruel, impudent, pitiless, and grasping monopoly that ever fastened upon a country.
05:32Loving natural parents.
05:34Who would you rather live with this twisted, loveless billionaire?
05:40Let's rule.
05:43Wait, you forgot your bear, a symbol of your lost youth and innocence.
05:47Even after the Supreme Court ordered that Standard Oil be dissolved for breaking antitrust laws, Rockefeller walked away wealthier than ever, becoming America's first billionaire.
05:57Like Mr. Burns, Rockefeller always came out on top.
06:04Superintendent, we made the front page today.
06:09Now, what's that say under your hand there?
06:11Oh, it's an unrelated article.
06:13It's an unrelated article.
06:15Daenerys Targaryen.
06:15Okay, we're kind of cheating, since the Mother of Dragons is fictional.
06:21Regardless, Game of Thrones fans idolized Daenerys Targaryen as if she were real, with some even naming their children after her.
06:30They probably regretted this following the HBO show's penultimate episode.
06:48The Lannisters admitted defeat, but Daenerys was too brave to accept their surrender.
06:53Those bells were no match for her dragon.
06:56Once again, The Simpsons played soothsayer.
06:59Two years before Game of Thrones ended, The Simpsons paid homage to high fantasy in an episode that culminates in a dragon burning a village down.
07:08Hey, sweet young thing.
07:11What time they cutting you down?
07:14Ooh, right.
07:16Homer plays a role in the destruction, being the one who revived the dragon.
07:20In that sense, a hero becomes a villain, just like Daenerys.
07:24The dragon is dead, and I've got a daughter who can turn lead into gold.
07:29Ooh, um, actually, I can't anymore.
07:33Dragon fire is the source of all magic, and Grandma killed the last one.
07:37FIFA.
07:38It isn't just individuals that The Simpsons has warned us about.
07:42The show has also shined a light on dishonest organizations, occasionally ahead of the curve.
07:48Red card!
07:50Let me give that back to you.
07:52Get out of here!
08:00When Homer becomes a World Cup referee, he accepts a bribe to ensure Brazil's victory.
08:06Homer does the right thing in the end, but not every referee has a Lisa in their corner.
08:11Only a year after this episode, FIFA, the governing body behind the World Cup, was accused of bribery.
08:17FIFA was also investigated for money laundering, racketeering, and wire fraud.
08:23FIFA president Sepp Blatter would step down and face suspension along with several other officials.
08:28We guess The Simpsons thought too small.
08:31As corruption didn't boil down to one ref, it supposedly went straight to the top.
08:36Nazis!
08:37Nazi harborers.
08:38Guys, guys, you're both right.
08:41All right, just so there are no misunderstandings, you make sure Brazil wins, and we give you one million dollars.
08:50Rupert Murdoch.
08:51The Simpsons have never pulled punches when it comes to making fun of Fox.
08:56This extends to the network's co-founder.
08:58At the Super Bowl, Homer and his friends stumble upon a skybox.
09:02Must you bray night and day at that infernal television?
09:06Oh, look who's talking.
09:08Yeah, Bob.
09:09You used to be on this show.
09:10Don't remind me.
09:12My foolish capering destroyed more young minds than syphilis and pinball combined.
09:17Unfortunately, it belongs to Rupert Murdoch, the billionaire tyrant.
09:22That's the show's words, not ours.
09:24The crew even got the real Murdoch to voice himself, suggesting he was in on the joke.
09:30Looking back years later, though, we're not entirely sure it was a joke.
09:34Through his vast wealth and power, Murdoch has played a key role in shaping media and politics over the past several decades.
09:41You guys are following me?
09:43I was following Flanders.
09:45Hey, look what I found.
09:48To many, Murdoch's impact has been more negative than positive.
09:53Most notably, creating a news landscape that calls the definition of fair and balanced into question.
09:59I'm going to Disneyland.
10:00Really? Because I'm a travel agent and I've heard nothing but bad things.
10:05George C. Nicopolis.
10:08Dependent on prescription drugs, Elvis sought out a personal physician who could keep him fully supplied.
10:16Now we'll get a real doctor's opinion.
10:20Bad news!
10:23Your son is a very sick boy.
10:26Just look at the x-rays!
10:28Elvis found his man in George C. Nicopolis, or Dr. Nick as some called him.
10:33For any Simpsons fan wondering, the name isn't a coincidence.
10:38The name Dr. Nick Riviera stemmed from Elvis' physician.
10:42Character traits carried over as well, as Riviera is equally lenient with his prescription pack.
10:48Where Dr. Nick continues to practice menicide in Springfield, Nicopolis was charged with 14 counts of over-prescribing drugs.
10:56My god, that's monstrous!
10:59I've never heard of anything so neglig-
11:01I'll have no part of it.
11:04Can you recommend a doctor who will?
11:07Yes.
11:08Hi, everybody!
11:10Hi, Dr. Nick!
11:11By this point, Elvis had been dead for three years.
11:15Although Nicopolis was acquitted, his license was suspended for three months.
11:20It'd be another 13 years until it was revoked forever.
11:24But Nicopolis remained free until he died in 2016.
11:28Bye, everybody!
11:29Doctor, what's wrong?
11:31Don't you know where to make the incision?
11:33All right, Nick.
11:34Don't panic.
11:36Think back to med school.
11:37Jared Fogle.
11:38In a 2005 Treehouse of Horror episode, everyone in Springfield is changed into their costumes.
11:45Are you gonna talk about it or are you gonna do it?
11:52For some, it's a curse, but others are happy with their new forms.
11:57Chief Wiggum is pleased to have significantly slimmed down as Jared from Subway.
12:02Wiggum notes, though, that he's now sexually ambiguous.
12:05Ambiguous is no longer a word we'd use to describe Jared Fogle, that take.
12:12While the joke's intent can be debated, The Simpsons was arguably among the first shows
12:17to say, hey, maybe there's something wrong about this guy that he isn't telling us.
12:22That something was revealed in 2015 when Fogle went from Subway spokesperson to the poster
12:28boy for Predators.
12:30Suddenly, we don't think Wiggum would be so thrilled about being in Jared's pants.
12:34And I'm Jared from the Subway ads.
12:36I'm only a little overweight and sexually ambiguous.
12:40Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
12:44about our latest videos.
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12:53Anthony Salerno.
12:57A convicted felon and high-ranking member of the Genovese crime family, Anthony Salerno
13:02went by another name, Fat Tony.
13:04You are late for work.
13:06Of course I'm late for work.
13:08How can I be on time when Principal Skinner keeps me after school?
13:11Is this guy Skinner causing you trouble?
13:12He sure is, Patron.
13:14Hmm.
13:14Perhaps we should go to meet and greet this individual.
13:17Salerno possesses the same nickname as Springfield's resident mob boss, sharing a physical resemblance
13:23as well.
13:24Granted, Fat Tony's design was primarily inspired by character actor Paul Sorvino, according to
13:30Al Jean.
13:31Fittingly enough, though, Sorvino played Salerno in the 2011 crime drama Kill the Irishman.
13:37Hey, you got a pair of balls, let me tell you.
13:42Two million dollars.
13:44Two million dollars.
13:46You didn't pay back the 70,000 that you borrowed.
13:48Why should I let you two million dollars?
13:50In another eerie connection, the real Salerno died in Springfield, Missouri.
13:57Hurry up, boys.
13:58We gotta get these toy poodles to the pet shop.
14:02All right, Fat Tony.
14:04Your little game is over.
14:06Is that the same Springfield the Simpsons are from?
14:09We may never know.
14:10In any case, Salerno would be accused of murder, racketeering, fraud, extortion, and conspiracy
14:17during his lifetime.
14:18But hey, at least he didn't try passing off weasels as toy poodles.
14:22A guy in Argentina did, however.
14:25Are there any obvious examples we left out?
14:27Let us know in the comments.
14:29Sixteen hundred.
14:31Sweet.
14:36Sweet.
14:38Two hundred.
14:39Sweet.
14:47Eight.
14:48One.
14:49One.
14:50One.
14:51Two.
14:51Two.
14:51Three.
14:52Two.
14:53Two.
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