Not at all. They were outright running Simpsons comics a few years prior.Anyone find it odd that the Disney Adventures calendar was promoting Cartoon Network, and a Looney Tunes movie as well? Not to mention all the talk about Hey Arnold and Scooby Doo.
Finally, notice that somebody named Maggie Groening is a co-writer for the novelization for Hey Arnold: The Movie. Is she related to Matt Groening, or is it just a coincidence? It would be especially weird since there were "Hey Arnold" comics in Simpsons Illustrated Magazine before Nick picked up the show.
I noticed that too, and given that the Simpson family is named after Matt's real family, and that there really is a Maggie Groening, it's possible it was her.