Coronavirus: People think The Simpsons predicted Tom Hanks' isolation

Actor revealed he and wife Rita Wilson tested positive for virus on Wednesday

Fans are speculating that The Simpsons “predicted” in 2007 that Tom Hanks would need to self-isolate amid the news that the actor and his wife Rita Wilson have tested positive for coronavirus.

On Wednesday, Hanks announced on social media that he and Wilson had contracted the virus in Australia and would be “tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires”.

Following Hanks' post, some viewers of The Simpsons Movie hypothesised that the actor’s isolation was foretold by his cameo in the film, when he spoke of being left alone.

In The Simpsons Movie, released in 2007, an animated version of Hanks advertises a “New Grand Canyon” and claims the “US government has lost its credibility so its borrowing some of mine,” before stating: “This is Tom Hanks saying if you see me in person, please, leave me be.”

“The Simpsons also nailed the prediction of Tom Hanks being quarantined,” one person wrote on Twitter.

Another said: “Is no one gonna talk about how The Simpsons pretty much predicted the virus, America going on lock down (the dome) and Tom Hanks getting coronavirus?”

Fans also believe the writers of The Simpsons predicted the coronavirus in the 1993 episode Marge In Chains, which sees residents of Springfield infected with a virus called Osaka Flu after ordering kitchen appliances from Japan.

However, many images being shared on social media have been altered to display “coronavirus” on the TV in the episode, while the real version of the cartoon actually read: “Osaka Flu.”

While the similarities are a stretch, this isn’t the first time people have pointed to past episodes of The Simpsons as foretelling the future. Previously, viewers have suggested that Donald Trump’s presidency, the discovery of a three-eyed fish, and the invention of The Shard have all happened after they were predicted by the show’s writers.

According to Hanks, he and Wilson are taking a "one-day-at-a-time approach" to fighting the virus and will be keeping the world "posted and updated".