Bank run in 'The Simpsons' episode didn’t foretell Bank of America account glitch

In January, some Bank of America customers reported money inexplicably missing from their accounts. The problem stemmed from transactions using Zelle — a digital payment network Bank of America co-owns —  that had been posted to the accounts but then disappeared. 

Bank of America later said the issue had been resolved, but not without angering U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who accused both the bank and Zelle of "failing customers again." 

Should she have seen it coming, thanks to an episode of "The Simpsons?"

"The Simpsons did it again," read text in a Jan. 23 Facebook post. It showed a video clip from the long-running animated show that opened with a shot of a building that says "Bank of America."

In the clip, Bart Simpson walks into the bank, laughs, and says, "What do you mean the bank is out of money?"

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stated on March 21, 2024 in an Instagram post

Video shows legislators “dancing in Congress” while the border is “overrun.”

Disguising his voice and running around the room, he then says, "Insolvent?" and then "You only have enough cash for the next three customers?"

The bank’s patrons then rush the bankers as the bank manager, sounding a lot like Jimmy Stewart in "It’s A Wonderful Life," says, "I don’t have your money here." 

A Facebook post sharing the clip was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

This clip is largely authentic from a 1995 Simpsons episode with one glaring exception: the building didn’t say "Bank of America" in the original. Rather, it was labeled "First Bank of Springfield" in which Bart causes a bank run. 

We rate claims that "The Simpsons" predicted a recent account problem at Bank of America False.