The Simpsons is credited with accurately predicting Donald Trump's presidency, Super Bowl results and smartwatches, so naturally people are concerned about one of its storylines suggesting the world will end today, 24 September.
After the chaos of the last couple of years, it's typical that the world would end on a Saturday, isn't it? Doomsday couldn't at least have waited until 9am on Monday morning?
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The fact you're reading this article is proof enough that the prediction hasn't come true just yet, but the theory behind 24 September stems from series nine, episode 24 (which is 9/24, if you write the date the American way) of The Simpsons, which aired in 1998.
In the episode, a group of end-of-the-world preppers are seen discussing the complete breakdown of society in the wake of a major catastrophe.
The storyline has caught the attention of Simpsons fans who have used recent events to back up their claims, with one Twitter user writing: "Not The Simpson’s predicting the end of the world this year in September. then I saw a glimpse of SkyNews where Putin is ready to blow sh*t up now and he said ‘this isn’t a joke’. ahh this is it."
The biggest believers of the apparent imminent apocalypse are members of QAnon, who have taken the prediction and run with it as part of a conspiracy that 'something big' is going to happen today.
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Discussion about Doomsday emerged in German QAnon channels on Telegram earlier this month, when users drew attention to a video of German lawmaker Friedrich Merz as he discussed Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In the clip, Merz accidentally referred to February 24, the day Vladimir Putin sent troops across the border, as September 24, describing it a day when everyone would remember where they were.
Though it was likely nothing more than a mistake, QAnon followers appear to have taken the date and run with it, claiming that Merz was revealing a secret plan in his speech and referring to an electromagnetic pulse in The Simpsons episode which will allegedly spark '10 days of darkness'.
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The theories quickly spread across the internet and have since popped up on various QAnon accounts on Telegram, YouTube, and Trump’s own social media platform, Truth Social.
Last weekend, a conspiracy theorist speaking at the Reawaken America conference reportedly claimed 'the day of vengeance' would be taking place in a week, and that the world was 'going to watch it happen'.
Well, I'm watching and I'll wait to see what happens. Maybe we should all tune in to The Simpsons to pass the time until then, just in case there's anything else we need to prepare for.
Featured Image Credit: DisneyTopics: The Simpsons, Donald Trump, Conspiracy Theory
