Fact Check: Did 'The Simpsons' predict the 2026 hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship?

WASHINGTON, DC: Following reports of a hantavirus outbreak on the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius, a claim spread online that a 2012 episode of 'The Simpsons' predicted the 2026 hantavirus outbreak.

The claim quickly drew attention as users linked it to the ongoing discussion about the disease and revived long-running claims that the show can foresee real-world events.

Claim: 'The Simpsons' predicted the hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship MV Hondius

An image circulating online shows ‘The Simpsons’ character Bart Simpson pointing at a ship labeled “Corona Cruises,” covered in green spots, seemingly depicting a viral outbreak.

It is unclear where the claim originated, but it appears to have spread through multiple social media posts linking 'The Simpsons' to a supposed prediction about the 2026 hantavirus outbreak.

A Facebook user claimed that 'The Simpsons' had already “warned” about a hantavirus outbreak. A post shared on May 8 included an image caption stating: “The Simpsons warned us Hantavirus came from a boat cruise in Season 23 Episode 19 back in 2012.” The caption further added. “It now they saying 23 passengers were sick 19=DNA IYKYK.”

The same claim also circulated on X, where a user named @ruswar alleged that "'The Simpsons' predicted a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise liner, writes the newspaper The Daily Mirror."

The post further stated, "In the 19th episode of the 23rd season of the cartoon, released in 2012, Homer together with his wife and children travel on a liner."

It then claimed, "Suddenly the vacation is interrupted by a siren and a video address from a general who informs the passengers about 'the rapid spread of the deadly virus 'Pandora.'"

Fact Check: 'The Simpsons' showrunner has debunked the claim

The claim that 'The Simpsons' depicted a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship is false, as confirmed by the show’s executive producer, who stated that the image does not exist in any episode.

Matt Selman, executive producer and showrunner of 'The Simpsons', told Reuters in an email that the circulating image is fabricated and does not appear in any episode of the series.

The original scene comes from Season 23, Episode 19, titled “A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again,” in which Bart points toward a ship named “Royalty Valhalla.” In the 2012 episode, the Simpson family goes on a cruise vacation, and Bart later invents a story about a pandemic outside the ship in an attempt to convince passengers and crew to remain onboard indefinitely.

Meanwhile, as of May 18, authorities have evacuated all passengers from the MV Hondius, and they are now in quarantine. The cruise ship has also docked in Rotterdam for disinfection.