Did the Simpsons predict Baltimore bridge collapse? Conspiracy theory debunked

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed partially after a cargo vessel named Dali rammed into it on Tuesday, March 26. Moments before the horrific collision, the Singapore-bound ship lost its power. In the wake of this catastrophic incident, several conspiracy theories linking The Simpsons to the Baltimore bridge collapse are making rounds on social media. However, such claims are false, here’s why:
Among the conspiracy theories surrounding the Baltimore Bridge collapse is the baseless claim that The Simpsons predicted the harrowing accident. Several AI-generated videos and photos of the popular animated show were shared across various social media platforms.
In one such clip, a news reporter narrates the Baltimore incident. While many fell victim to the clip and believed that the show actually made the prediction, several users pointed it out as “fake.”
An AI-generated photo of The Simpsons that went viral on X, formerly Twitter, replicated the ship Dali’s collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. In the photo, characters from the show can be seen watching the accident from a distance. Many users fell victim to the photo as they believed it to be an actual scene from the show.
However, after several users called it out as fake, the platform added context to the photo with a message that read, “There is no Simpsons video or episode containing this photo.It first appeared in TikTok video,according to Google.It is probably A.I generated.”
Another video linking The Simpsons to the Baltimore Bridge collapse emerged on TikTok, featuring a scene from Season 35, Episode 8. As shown in the episode, netizens started drawing parallels between the Scotland’s Forth Bridge with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. However, it was another false claim, as there is no connection between the episode and the Baltimore accident.