The Simpsons Season Premiere Coincidentally Includes Arnold Palmer Joke

Something strange happened on The Simpsons last night. During the show’s season 28 premiere, it had a moment of clairvoyance that feels more than a little eerie in retrospect. The moment came when the show told a joke about Arnold Palmer that was awkwardly timed, to say the least.

The famed golfer died on Sunday at the age of 87 in Pittsburgh due to heart problems, and The Simpsons aired its episode (produced months earlier) that very evening. The joke did not come at the late golfer’s expense—it was actually a reference to the iced tea and lemonade drink that bears his name. Homer was planning to “Arnold Palmer” Lenny, you see.

The show managed to drop Palmer’s name four times in a 30 second period, which is amazing in its timing if nothing else. In response to the poor timing of the joke, showrunner Al Jean tweeted, “v v sorry to learn of death of Arnold Palmer what a giant.” Jean also mentioned that he would have cut the joke if he had had the time to do so.

This is not the first time The Simpsons has managed to predict events occurring in the actual world. Among the show’s most chilling predictions are those of Alan Rickman and David Bowie’s deaths, as well as the possibility of President Donald Trump. The Arnold Palmer joke proves that the show may actually be too tuned into our culture, even after all these years. Check out the full clip below.

There was an Arnold Palmer reference tonight on The Simpsons. So weird. pic.twitter.com/4obYfm2B5T

— Kirk Nawrotzky (@KirkNawrotzky) September 26, 2016