Fans of The Simpsons are highlighting a clip of Homer climbing up a large sphere encasing Springfield from 2007's The Simpsons Movie in the wake of a similar real-life incident in which a man climbed the Sphere in Las Vegas to protest abortion.
Las Vegas police received calls about Maison Des Champs, a 24-year-old rock climber, climbing the 366-foot-tall Sphere near the Strip, prompting a response.
In a short cellphone video posted on Instagram, Des Champs explained that the stunt aimed to draw attention to his anti-abortion advocacy while fundraising for a homeless pregnant woman, intending to help her "cancel her abortion appointment."
You can see the video of him climbing the structure below.
It didn't take long for one social media user to point out that Homer had once climbed a giant sphere in the 2007 film—providing a funny similarity to the oddball news story and contributing to the ongoing gag that The Simpsons always seems to predict real-world future events.
For decades, the classic sitcom has both captivated and humored fans for its seemingly uncanny ability to predict real events, underscoring its profound influence on pop culture.
Previously, various online discussions have drawn attention to a perceived resemblance between horror writer Stephen King's novel Under the Dome and The Simpsons Movie, in which the town of Springfield finds itself enclosed within a massive glass dome.
On the other hand, the novel—released two years after The Simpsons Movie—revolves around a small town in Maine and is an alternating perspective story that explores how the residents grapple with suddenly becoming isolated from the outside world. This isolation is brought about by an impenetrable, invisible, dome-like barrier that seemingly descends from the sky, encasing the city under it.
People ate up the perceived similarity between the events of the film and the man climbing the Sphere.
Des Champs faces charges of felony destruction of personal property and conspiracy to destroy property, a gross misdemeanor.
This is not the first time Des Champs has faced legal consequences for his building-scaling activities. In August 2021, he was arrested for climbing the Aria on the Strip, protesting mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although initially charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and trespassing, the case was later dismissed by prosecutors.
Des Champs appears to have planned the stunt to raise awareness for Let Them Live, a pro-life non-profit. A representative from the non-profit informed FOX5 that Des Champs has conducted similar scaling stunts globally to generate funds for "women in crisis."
According to a press release issued by the non-profit, Des Champs timed his stunt to coincide with the impending arrival of half a million football fans in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII.
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