Top 10 Times SNL Accidentally Predicted the Future

This 2013 episode opened with Kate McKinnon as Kathleen Sebelius, who was then the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. The sketch takes shots at HealthCare.gov, which experienced technical difficulties after launching on October 1 of that year. “SNL” accurately captures the frustration that many users experienced, although even the writers probably thought it was an exaggeration when they claimed that the site can only accommodate six people at once. Turns out that this oddly specific number was dead on. Only a few days after this sketch aired, it was revealed that the Obamacare site received 4.7 million unique visits in the first 24 hours. In a war room meeting, it was revealed that only “six enrollments” had occurred thus far.

The same year that Caitlyn Jenner became a Wheaties spokesperson, John Belushi endorsed the cereal that turned him into a decathlon gold medalist: Little Chocolate Donuts. While Belushi was actually the captain of his school’s football and wrestling teams, donuts and cigarettes are no way for athletes to start the day. Yet, this fake commercial from 1977 foreshadowed the rise of unhealthy cereal. By the 80s, General Mills introduced Chocolate Donutz with a “Z” while Ralston gave us Dunkin’ Donuts Cereal in glazed and chocolate flavors. Breakfast hasn’t gotten much more nutritious with the development of Cap’n Crunch’s Choco Donuts and Homer’s Cinnamon Donut Cereal. Anyone can make a sugary Cheerios clone, but we still think the cereal industry owes some money to Belushi’s estate.

By 2015, it became clear that Disney was committed to remaking all of their animated classics whether people asked for them or not. This “SNL” sketch predicted not just one - but two live-action Disney remakes that had yet to be announced. The trailer parody stars Dwayne Johnson as Bambi, who is out for blood after the death of his mother. It’s essentially a Disney-esque “Fast & Furious” movie with Vin Diesel as Thumper and Michelle Rodriquez as Faline. Although Sarah Polley likely won’t take this direction, it was announced in 2023 that she was in talks to helm a photorealistic remake of the 1942 film. That same year, news broke that Johnson would be starring in another Disney remake, bringing Maui of “Moana” into live-action.

Martha Stewart was among Ana Gasteyer’s most acclaimed impersonations during her “SNL” tenure. Gasteyer has cited a particular Stewart sketch as the one that solidified her place on the show: “Martha Stewart’s Topless Christmas.” Premiering in December 1996, the sketch plays out like a typical Martha Stewart special with just one major difference… well, two differences. The sketch seemed to be sending up Stewart’s risque Spy Magazine cover from that year, but it also foretold a future wardrobe choice. We can’t help but wonder if the real Stewart had Gasteyer in mind when she went topless for a Green Mountain Coffee video in 2022. Wearing nothing but a white apron, the 81-year-old Stewart made “SNL” fans feel as if Christmas had come earlier.

“Schmitts Gay” marked one of Adam Sandler and Chris Farley’s funniest pairings on “SNL.” The 1991 sketch is in the spirit of old-school beer commercials with a couple of guy friends, some cold ones, and a pool. Instead of splashing around with beautiful women, though, the friends find themselves drowning in beautiful men. At the time, this played with expectations given how overtly heterosexual beer advertising was. In recent years, numerous alcohol brands have sponsored LGBTQ+ events and strived to make ads more inclusive. Some ads have been more divisive than others, a 2023 Bud Light video featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney leading to a boycott. Still, “Schmitts Gay” was ahead of the curve with brewsky bottles coming to embrace a prideful rainbow.

Jimmy Fallon joined “SNL” in 1998, but that year’s Christmas show predicted bigger things to come. With Alec Baldwin acting like a Scrooge, the host is visited by a couple of spirits, including a future Fallon. Jimmy says that he’s become a prominent celebrity and even hosts the show on December 12, 2011. There’s no way this could’ve come to fruition since December 12 was on a Monday that year. However, Fallon was only five days off, hosting on December 17, 2011! By that point, Fallon was a fixture of late night with his own show. In another “Christmas Carol”-esque monologue, a 2005 Lindsay Lohan is visited by her future self, who suggests that 2007 is gonna be a rocky year… which it was.

In October 1978, President Jimmy Carter delivered a televised address about inflation. “SNL” parodied the speech shortly after with Dan Aykroyd as Carter, arguing that inflation is good for America. If the prices go up, we can all feel like big shots! Carter suggests that by the year 2000, blue-collar workers will make $568,000 annually and most citizens will be millionaires. Although those figures still feel exaggerated, $1 million doesn’t carry as much weight as it did back then. Likewise, $4,000 suits, $75 cigars, and $600,000 cars might be luxuries, but they’re not unheard of in today’s economy. Even if the numbers aren’t precise, the sketch is just as relevant now with inflation surging since 2021 and seemingly no solutions in sight.

When Kevin Spacey was met with a swarm of allegations in 2017, some were shocked while others thought the worst-kept secret in Hollywood was out of the bag. We’re curious how much “SNL” knew, as a sketch from twenty years earlier feels like a warning in retrospect. Spacey uses his monologue as an opportunity to show off his singing chops. It would be fairly straightforward if it weren’t for the subtitles accompanying the sketch. The text claims that Spacey threatened the showrunners into letting him sing and that he’s “a very sick individual with severe emotional problems.” The sketch proceeds to claim that “the bad Kevin” demanded a separate dressing room and that he always plays psychos for a reason. A roast… or an omen?

On March 18, 2000, Colin Quinn went over several seemingly unrelated “Weekend Update” stories that soon collided in tragic ways. First, Quinn brings up George W. Bush, suggesting that his concern over gas prices could lead to war if elected president. This is followed by a story about the NYPD with an image of the Twin Towers in the background. Quinn proceeds to talk about Osama bin Laden, who was 18 months away from enacting the September 11 attacks. After that, Quinn mentions a death sentence in Pakistan, which is where bin Laden would die in 2011. Finally, Quinn discusses a flight where the pilot was attacked, forcing passengers to rise up. The fact that these news items are covered in succession is especially unsettling.

The 90s were a simpler time when Ross Perot running for president was the craziest thing imaginable. In an October 1999 sketch, Perot confesses that he’ll never be president, although he’s found two other Reform Party candidates: Pat Buchanan and Donald Trump. Buchanan never made it to the Oval Office, but Trump would almost 17 years later. When this sketch aired, Trump was mounting a presidential campaign, eyeing Oprah to run alongside him. “SNL” brought up his political aspirations again in November 1999 with Trump revealing that the presidency has been on his to-do list since age 14. Instead of Oprah, Trump announces game show contestant John Carpenter as his running mate… which could still happen depending on how far he gets in 2024.

Which “SNL” prediction gave you a mix of chuckles and chills? Let us know in the comments.