An image of Simpsons-like characters resembling Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot, from the Coldplay concert viral video, surfaced on social media and went viral soon after. This immediately sparked speculation that The Simpsons had done it again — predicted a bizarre pop culture moment long before it happened.
Posts, widely circulating the image on social media, claimed that the popular American show’s Season 26, Episode 10 have eerie similarities with the recent incident.
Fact check: Did Simpsons predict Coldplay concert incident?
After the actual incident caused ripples and made news recently, things got strange when Simpsons fans joined the fray. The now-viral image claiming to be from a 2015 episode depicted a couple on a kiss cam, resembling Byron and Cabot.
However, showrunner Al Jean was quick to shut it down. “We write satire, not prophecy. Any similarity is pure luck,” Jean reportedly said. Internet users also soon figured that the viral image was AI-generated. Upon checking details of The Simpsons seasons, we also found that no characters resembling the CEO and chief HR featured in any episodes.
While the Simpsons theory may not hold up, the situation has sparked a conversation online.
What happened at the Coldplay concert?
At Coldplay’s July 16 concert, frontman Chris Martin told fans he would sing for a few lucky attendees live. “We’re going to do that using our cameras,” he said. “If you look at the screens, we’re going to come looking and see who’s out there to say hello to,” Chris said.
Soon after, Martin turned his attention to another couple projected on the stadium’s massive screen. The man, later identified by social media as CEO of tech company Astronomer Andy Byron, was seen with his arms around Kristin Cabot, his company’s Chief People Officer. Cabot and Byron are not married to each other.
“Oh, look at these two,” Martin quipped. But the moment quickly turned awkward.
As soon as Cabot realised they were on the screen, she pulled away abruptly, shielded her face with her hands and turned away. Byron ducked out of sight too.
The awkward moment, captured live and circulated online, sparked immediate speculation about the nature of Byron and Cabot’s relationship. Within hours, the clip went viral.
Astronomer released an official statement on July 19 confirming that Andy Byron had resigned from his position as CEO. The company added that its board of directors would begin the search for a new chief executive.
Other Simpsons predictions that were on point
Over the years, The Simpsons has earned a reputation not just for its sharp satire but also for its knack for predicting real-world events. From political upheavals to global pandemics, the long-running animated series has left fans wondering on several occasions.
One of the most famous examples comes from the 2000 episode titled ‘Bart to the Future’, where Lisa Simpson becomes President of the United States and casually mentions inheriting the presidency from “President Trump”. What seemed like a surreal punchline at the time became all too real when Donald Trump was elected as the 45th US President in 2016.
Another unsettling instance is from the 1993 episode ‘Marge in Chains’, which features a fictional “Osaka Flu” sweeping through Springfield. The virus, traced back to imported Japanese juicers, sparks a wave of panic eerily reminiscent of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And then there’s the 1998 episode ‘When You Dish Upon a Star’, where a quick visual gag showed the 20th Century Fox logo accompanied by the line “a division of Walt Disney Co”. Fast forward to 2017, nearly two decades later, Disney announced its massive $52 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox, turning the joke into an accurate prediction.