FACT CHECK: Did The Cincinnati Bengals Win The Super Bowl In An Episode Of ‘The Simpsons’?

An image shared on Facebook claims an episode of the popular animated sitcom “The Simpsons” featured the Cincinnati Bengals beating “LA” in the Super Bowl.

Verdict: Misleading

Two of the images included in the post are authentic screen grabs from the show. The third image, showing the final score from a Super Bowl matchup between “Cin” and “LA,” has been altered. All three images are taken from different episodes and are not related.

Fact Check

A Facebook image shows three alleged screen grabs from “The Simpsons” that appear to be related to the Cincinnati Bengals allegedly beating “LA” in the Super Bowl. The top photo features cheerleaders sporting the Bengals’ orange and black team colors. The bottom left image features Homer Simpson with “Go Bengals” written across his stomach. The final image shows an in-episode newscast displaying the message “BENGALS win the SUPER BOWL!! Cin 34 LA 31.”

Some social media users are taking the image as an omen of things to come in Sunday’s Super Bowl 56 matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. However, the three images featured in the Facebook post are taken from different episodes and are out of context. The final image is also altered. (RELATED: Did ‘The Simpsons Predict The Canadian ‘Freedom Convoy’ Protest?)

Check Your Fact traced the image of the cheerleaders to a season 12 episode titled “Insane Clown Poppy.” The episode centers on the character Krusty the Clown who seeks parental advice from Homer Simpson after he learns he has a daughter, according to the synopsis on IMDb. There is no mention of the Super Bowl in the episode.

The “Go Bengals” screen grab can be traced to a 2005 episode titled “Homer and Ned’s Hail Mary Pass,” which focused on Homer Simpson designing various celebration dances for athletes, according to the episode’s description on IMDb. Although the show features a Super Bowl game, it does not mention or show the Bengals winning the Super Bowl.

A clip from the episode uploaded to YouTube shows the scene in question. Two men enter the Simpsons’ home and announce that the commissioner of football wants to speak with Homer Simpson, who responds by saying, “I want to see him too. Maybe he can tell me how to get this off.” He then proceeds to lift his shirt to reveal the “Go Bengals” message written on his stomach.

The still featuring the prediction of the score comes from a Season 3 episode titled “Lisa The Greek,” which revolved around Homer Simpson and his daughter Lisa Simpson betting on football games, according to IMDb. A clip from that episode uploaded to YouTube shows the image originated from an in-episode newscast where the host declared Cincinnati to be his “shoe-in of the week” in a game against Miami, not Los Angeles. No score for the alleged game is given. The text declaring the Bengals as Super Bowl champions appears to have been digitally inserted into the image.

This is not the first time the show has been the subject of viral misinformation. Check Your Fact previously debunked a claim from April 2021 that suggested it predicted Prince Phillip’s death.

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