A viral rumor in 2025 falsely claimed that The Simpsons predicted Pope Francis’ death on April 21, 2025, with eerie accuracy. The claim circulated via a widely shared AI-generated video that fabricated a fictional episode showing a papal funeral scene, complete with fake visuals and synthetic narration. However, no official episode of the show ever depicted such content or made a dated prediction.
The rumor gained traction on TikTok, X, and Instagram after the pope was hospitalized in February 2025, feeding into ongoing conspiracy theories about the show’s “predictive powers.” In reality, the only confirmed reference to a pope’s death in The Simpsons appears briefly in a 2019 episode, where a generic announcement states, “The pope has died,” without naming anyone or giving specifics.
Investigators found multiple signs of AI manipulation in the viral video, including distorted visuals and incorrect timing details. While The Simpsons has coincidentally portrayed real-world events before, this claim about Pope Francis’ death is entirely fabricated and misrepresents the show’s actual content.
