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Whether The Simpsons prophesied the Coldplay kiss cam scandal debacle nearly a decade ago has been a rapidly spreading online topic after a viral mishap at a Coldplay concert. The reply is no—there's no show in which The Simpsons explicitly foretells the Coldplay kiss cam scandal and the subsequent controversy.
The rumors started when social media audiences shared photos and allegations implying that the veteran cartoon program had done the same scene years before the actual occurrence. These allegations were rapidly disproven by producers of the show and outside fact-checkers.
At a Coldplay concert event at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts, a popularly shared video caught Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and Chief People Officer Kristin Cabot sharing a warm moment on the kiss cam. Suspicion was raised when both appeared shocked and moved away as the camera zoomed in on them, and Coldplay's Chris Martin commented jokingly about a possible affair.
Footage of the incident soon went viral on social media sites such as TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram, which generated public outcry and professional repercussions for the individuals involved.
Shortly afterward, reports surfaced online that The Simpsons had foretold the situation, but all evidence indicates that this is incorrect. The story illustrates how quickly pop culture rumors spread and how online material can blur reality and fiction.
The Coldplay Concert incident
Coldplay played at Gillette Stadium on July 16, 2025. When the audience's kiss cam caught a glimpse of Andy Byron, CEO of technology firm Astronomer, and Kristin Cabot, Chief People Officer for the company, they were both visibly caught off guard and instantly separated. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin had an immediate reaction via the microphone, saying
"Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy," as reported by several news sources.
The incident generated a lot of attention on social media. Some wondered how Byron and Cabot were related. Some demanded company probes because of their senior positions. Byron was promptly put on leave and later resigned, and the company was faced with a change of leadership.
The incident, which had been broadly called "ColdplayGate" on the internet, was a trending topic, not just because of the public scandal but because of the implications on workplace morals.
The Simpsons prediction rumor
Soon after the video became viral, photos started surfacing on social media with the assertion that The Simpsons had broadcast a virtually identical kiss cam moment years ago. Most of the posts referenced a so-called 2017 episode called "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bangalore," where Homer and Marge Simpson shared an uncomfortable hug during a stadium kiss cam.
Numerous users pointed to this as proof of The Simpsons' prediction skills. According to multiple reports, memes and AI-generated screenshots spread far and wide, creating the illusion that the show had actually recreated the Coldplay concert controversy.
But no such scene or episode ever existed in The Simpsons' vast history, the executive producers of the show, as well as independent verifiers, have claimed. Showrunner of the show, Al Jean, assured Mashable and other publications:
"We write satire, not prophecy. Any similarity is pure luck."
Trending
The speculation took off due to the quick transmission of memes and altered content on X and Instagram. People commonly used The Simpsons' past "predictions," as they have famously predicted several events before, but in this scenario, mass sharing of an AI-generated picture was to blame for spreading the myth.
Social commentary by the public, cited by publications such as the Hindustan Times and Indy100, focuses on how the internet has the ability to connect references in pop culture to trending news events. The narrative illustrates how fast online society can produce and spread plausible fakes, impacting public opinion and discussion.
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