As The Simpsons barrels toward its historic 37th season, the long-running animated juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down—or shying away from controversy. At San Diego Comic-Con, the show’s creative team unveiled a star-studded roster of guest voices for the upcoming season, including Kieran Culkin (Succession), Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), and comedy sensation Cole Escola (Oh Mary!). They’ll be joined by fan favorites like Danny Pudi (Community) and the Gleeson brothers, Brendan and Domhnall, marking their first collaboration on the series. But the biggest surprises came not from the casting announcements but from the show’s legendary creator, Matt Groening, who joked about The Simpsons’ uncanny (and entirely fictional) ability to predict the future—before delivering a sharp political jab at Fox News.
The panel, which included Groening, executive producers Matt Selman and Mike Price, director Matt Faughnan, and consulting producer David Silverman, offered a glimpse into the show’s next chapter. One highlight was a sneak peek at this year’s Treehouse of Horror Halloween special, featuring voice cameos from Idris Elba, Michael Keaton, and Viola Davis, with a special animated opening by The Onion’s Stan Kelly. Yet even as the team celebrated the show’s enduring legacy—including its 800th episode, set to air in February 2026—they couldn’t escape the persistent myth that The Simpsons “predicts” real-world events.
Selman dismissed the latest viral conspiracy, which falsely claimed the show foresaw the recent Coldplay CEO scandal. “Who could be so dumb?” he quipped. “Of all our 800 episodes, why would we predict two random people having an affair? And yet, hundreds of millions of people believe it!” Groening, ever the provocateur, leaned into the joke: “We are time travelers,” he deadpanned, before offering his own “predictions.” Elon Musk, he claimed, would crash-land on Mars and hear Earthlings cheering his demise. America would “return the Statue of Liberty to France.” And most pointedly, he declared: “The Simpsons predicts kids across America will liberate their Republican parents from the MAGA cult. Here’s how: Grab the remote, go to the menu, find Fox News, and delete it.”
The panel wasn’t all politics and pranks. Selman teased the 800th episode as a must-see event, promising “two brand-new episodes that night—top secret, but the best 800th episode of anything ever.” Meanwhile, the team addressed the recent online frenzy over Marge Simpson’s supposed death in the Season 36 finale. “She’s in every episode!” Selman laughed, blaming the rumor on clickbait culture. “Call it ‘trick bait’—headlines designed to fool you into clicking. Just think for one second, and your life gets a little better.”
Amid technical glitches during a Simpsons-themed Pictionary game, guest animators Michael Cusack (Smiling Friends) and Mike McMahan (Solar Opposites) joined the chaos, underscoring the show’s enduring influence. With nearly four decades under its belt, The Simpsons remains as unpredictable as ever—whether poking fun at the media, mocking billionaires, or slyly urging viewers to rethink their news diet. One thing’s certain: Springfield isn’t going anywhere. As Groening put it, “We’ll keep going until somebody dies. And when they do, there’ll be dancing in the streets—unless President Vance bans it.”
The Pop Blog general news and updates, mostly from press releases and conferences.