Fact check: Image of 'Simpsons' character doctored to mimic Capitol riot participant
The claim: An episode of ‘The Simpsons’ predicted the Capitol riot on Jan. 6
After a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, posts began circulating online claiming that “The Simpsons” predicted the event.
A viral Facebook post includes an image of the show’s Groundskeeper Willie character standing on the ledge of a building that looks similar to the Capitol. The image is shown next to a photo of Jake Angeli, the bare-chested QAnon-supporting man who was briefly seen on the Senate dais during the Capitol siege.
Both Angeli and Groundskeeper Willie are dressed in a fur, horned hat, have a painted face, and tattoos in the post. Angeli has been a fixture at Arizona right-wing political rallies over the past year, the Arizona Republic reported.
“The simpsons win again,” the caption reads.
The post has been shared 22,000 times. USA TODAY has reached out to the poster for comment.
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A consultant for the show said the image is fake
Antonia Coffman, an executive consultant for "The Simpsons," confirmed that the viral image of Groundskeeper Willie is not from the show.
“The internet created the image and things circulated from there,” Coffman said in a statement.
A Google image search of Groundskeeper Willie showed a similar photo of the character in the same stance, but he was not wearing a fur, horned hat, painted face or tattoos in the original image.
Snopes, PolitiFact, and Reuters have also debunked the claim.
Fact check: Face-painted Capitol Building trespasser in horns is a known QAnon supporter
Our rating: False
The claim that “The Simpsons” predicted the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 is FALSE, based on our research. An executive consultant for the show confirmed that the image of Groundskeeper Willie is fake.
Our fact-check sources:
The Arizona Republic, Jan. 6, "QAnon supporter from Arizona dressed in fur and horns joins storming of US Capitol"
Emailed statement from Antonia Coffman, an executive consultant for the show, Jan. 12
Snopes, Jan. 7, “Did ‘The Simpsons’ Predict Pro-Trump Horned Rioter Jake Angeli?”
PolitiFact, Jan. 8, “No, the Simpsons didn’t predict the Capitol riots. Those images are edited”
Reuters, Jan. 8, “Fact check: The Simpsons did not foresee the horned Trump protester”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Image of 'Simpsons' character in horned hat is doctored
