6 TV Shows With Crazy Real-Life Repercussions
1. George Bush Became Involved In A Feud With The Simpsons
Former US president George Bush was involved in his fair share of conflicts while in office, but by far the most metaphysical was his war with The Simpsons.
The Simpson-Bush feud began when then-First Lady Barbara Bush told reporters that the animated sitcom was the "dumbest thing" she'd ever seen. Days later, an angry letter from Marge Simpson landed on her doorstep.
Mrs Bush apologised to Marge for publicly criticising her family, but the mudslinging didn't stop there. George Bush later urged America to be more like the Waltons and less like the Simpsons during a televised address at the Republican National Convention in 1992.
The Simpsons showrunners took this a declaration of war and returned fire by lampooning President Bush in several episodes of the show, including the season seven rib-tickler Two Bad Neighbors, in which Bush moves to Springfield and makes enemies of Bart and Homer.
The punishments they subjected him to included having his memoirs shredded by Bart, having a multicoloured afro wig glued to his head and a bottle rocket assault on his house. This culminated in a mano-a-mano fistfight with Homer.
Highlighting The Simpsons' penchant for nuanced jokes, Bush says to Homer "I'm going to ruin you like a Japanese banquet" before they exchanged blows, a reference to an incident in which the former president threw up on the ruler of Japan at a formal dinner.
Know of any other TV shows that had real-life consequences? Let us know down in the comments.