We came across the following post on Reddit:
The 33 second clip depicts a scene at “Silicon Valley Bank” where fictional character Bart Simpson asks, “what do you mean the bank is out of money,” later saying that the bank is “insolvent” and only has enough cash for the next three customers. The comments from Simpson prompt many in the bank to rush to the teller windows, demanding for their money to be withdrawn.
For context, on March 10, 2023, the Silicon Valley Bank, a bank that specializes in banking for tech start-ups, failed after its stock value collapsed, causing a run on its holdings, where many customers withdrew their deposits simultaneously due to fears of the bank’s solvency. Federal regulators assumed control of the company in what was reportedly the largest failure of a U.S. bank since 2008 when Washington Mutual, at the time the United States’ largest savings and loan association collapsed.
Watching the clip, it is quite clear that the name of the bank at the start of the video had been shoddily altered. A quick search found the original clip, showing the logo of the fictitious First Bank of Springfield instead of Silicon Valley Bank.
Interestingly, The Simpsons has built a reputation for accurately predicting the future, including but not limited to predicting Donald Trump’s presidency and Disney acquiring 21st Century Fox (20th Century Fox in the animated series as the episode aired in 1998).
While the two former claims did come true, the claim that The Simpsons had predicted the Silicon Valley Bank collapse is false. The clip was digitally altered and the original clip depicted a bank run at the fictional First Bank of Springfield.
