Fact check: Video of Silicon Valley Bank collapse in 'The Simpsons' is altered

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: Video shows 'The Simpsons' predicted the Silicon Valley Bank collapse

A March 13 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) features a clip from "The Simpsons" that depicts a run on a bank in which a rush of customers try unsuccessfully to pull their money from the bank. The bank is labeled in the clip as Silicon Valley Bank.

“The Simpson’s predicted a bank run at Silicon Valley Bank that will Collapse and then it happened few days ago,” reads the post's caption.

It was shared more than 150 times in two days.

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Our rating: Altered

The opening shot of the clip is altered. In the original 1995 episode, the sign on the bank says “First Bank of Springfield,” not “Silicon Valley Bank.”

Sign says 'First Bank of Springfield' in original episode

The clip featured in the post is from a 1995 episode called “The PTA Disbands." However, the original footage shows the bank was called the "First Bank of Springfield," not "Silicon Valley Bank."

The latter failed in March after depositors began withdrawing their money, marking the largest collapse of a financial institution since 2008 and the second-largest in U.S. history, as reported by USA TODAY. Federal regulators later announced they were working to protect deposits and avoid a financial crisis.

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The clip uploaded to Facebook features the altered text of the sign and a watermark for Kapwing, a video-editing service, in the bottom right corner.

The Facebook post is one of many social media posts that claim "The Simpsons" has predicted the future. USA TODAY previously debunked claims the show predicted events including the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, the monkeypox outbreak and the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.

PolitiFact debunked another version of the clip in which the sign on the bank was altered to say “Bank of America.”

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: False claim 'Simpsons' predicted Silicon Valley Bank run