“South Park” Roasts Trump: A Satirical Showdown Amid Media Deals and Controversies
1. Initial Reluctance and Sudden U - turn
In a September interview with Vanity Fair, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of “South Park,” expressed near - complete disinterest in satirizing Donald Trump, with Parker stating, “I don’t know what more we could possibly say.” However, the situation took a dramatic turn yesterday.
2. The Premier Episode's Blunt Mockery
On the same day Paramount announced a five - year streaming deal with “South Park,” involving 50 new episodes, the premiere of the show’s 27th season, titled “Sermon on the ’Mount,” launched a scathing attack. It mercilessly mocked both President Trump and Paramount for caving in to Trump’s demands. This included settling the lawsuit over “60 Minutes,” and allegedly canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” The episode did not hold back on vulgar jokes aimed at Trump. It depicted him with a “teeny tiny” penis, both through animation and deep - fake technology, and portrayed him as Satan’s lover, reminiscent of the gay Saddam Hussein character from the 1999 movie “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.”
3. The Context of the Episode's Release
The episode aired as Paramount was on the verge of merging with media company Skydance. Politicians and media personalities speculated that Paramount’s eagerness to please Trump was driven by the need to secure approval from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the deal, which was finalized on Thursday evening. Before being fired, Colbert, a late - night ratings leader, referred to Paramount’s $16 - million settlement with Trump as a “big fat bribe.” On Monday’s show, he declared “the gloves are off” and told the president “go fuck yourself.” With Colbert’s remaining season, Jon Stewart’s scathing criticism of both Paramount and CBS, the new “South Park” deal, and the transformative merger, Paramount seems to be entering a period where some of its major stars are openly hostile to both the company and the president.
4. FCC's Involvement and Statements
FCC chairman Brendan Carr, who wrote Project 2025’s chapter on the telecommunications agency, was reported to have said in a statement on Thursday supporting the merger, “I welcome Skydance’s commitment to make significant changes at the once storied CBS broadcast network. Today’s decision also marks another step forward in the FCC’s efforts to eliminate invidious forms of DEI.” (The streamer had promised Trump it would cancel its DEI initiatives.)
5. Reactions from Paramount and the White House
Paramount did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers, in a statement emailed to WIRED, dismissed “South Park” as irrelevant and derided “left” fans who liked the season opener. She wrote, “The Left’s hypocrisy truly has no end—for years they have come after South Park for what they labeled as ‘offense’ [sic] content, but suddenly they are praising the show. Just like the creators of South Park, the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows.” She also claimed, “This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention. President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country’s history—and no fourth - rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”
6. The Deal and the Show's Depiction of Trump
Paramount’s press release announcing the “South Park” deal, reportedly worth $1.5 billion, described the show as “one of the most valuable TV franchises in the world” and praised Parker and Stone as “fearless” and “boundary - pushing.” However, the roasting of Trump in “Sermon on the ’Mount” was extremely mean - spirited. After being accused by the Canadian prime minister of being like a “dictator from the Middle East,” Trump lashed out at a White House artist for painting him with a small penis. This theme was repeated throughout the episode, with multiple portraits showing him humping things and animals, and Satan commenting, “I can’t even see anything, it’s so small.” Trump petulantly threatened to sue him, the artist, Jesus, and the entire town—anyone who angered him. The episode also implied his connection to the Epstein list.
7. The Town's Deal and the PSA
In the episode, Jesus warns the townspeople, who are resisting forced Christianity in their kids’ school, saying, “Do you really want to end up like Colbert?” He specifically calls out Paramount, saying, “We’re going to get canceled, you idiots.” The town then strikes a deal with the president, being forced to do pro - Trump messaging, alluding to Trump’s claim on Truth Social that Paramount’s “new owners” have agreed to give him $20 million in advertising and public service announcements (PSAs) in addition to the settlement. (Paramount told Deadline the settlement doesn’t include PSAs and said it “has no knowledge of any promises or commitments made to President Trump other than those set forth in the settlement proposed by the mediator and accepted by the parties.”) The show is then interrupted by a PSA featuring a naked, deep - fake Trump stumbling around the desert, with his genitals having a pair of googly eyes. A narrator says, “Trump: His penis is teeny - tiny, but his love for us is large.” The ad ends with the text “He Gets Us. All Of Us.” on a black background, borrowing the slogan from an actual Christian ad campaign.
8. Perspectives on the Satire
Some may argue that portraying Trump as a narcissistic man - child and focusing on his appearance is low - brow. However, Nick Marx, an associate professor of film and media studies at Colorado State University, believes it’s a refreshing change from the defiant messaging of Colbert and others. He claims, “It’s fucking funny as hell that they seek to sexually humiliate Trump,” seeing it as an effective way to troll what he believes to be the president’s “vanity and insecurity.” He adds, “I think that is the card to play … and I am frustrated that more of the comedians that I love on the left haven't leaned into that really harsh attack of him.”
9. Reactions on Social Media
Critics on X (formerly Twitter) complained that “the left took over south park” and “this show is for libtards,” while others expressed fear that Trump would get the show canceled, saying, “South Park was good while it lasted.” Marx thinks that the type of humor in “South Park,” including small - dick jokes, which was also part of its right - wing - appealing content in the past, could be beneficial for liberals. He argues, “Right - wing humorists, the Joe Rogans and Andrew Schulzs of the world, they're the ones occupying this offensive free - speech space. And so anything that the left can do to reclaim artists like Parker and Stone would be a benefit to them.”
10. FCC Chairman's Stance
NBC News reported that in a meeting on Thursday, the FCC’s Carr said he’s “not a ‘South Park’ watcher.” He also said Trump is against “a handful of national programmers” who “control and dictate to the American what the narrative is, what they can say, what they can think.” However, censoring popular entertainers could anger the public, who may not be as concerned about the plight of journalists.
11. Paramount's Dilemma
Nick Marx points out that “[South Park] just inked this $1.5 billion deal that, to me, is a gesture of full and unequivocal support from Paramount. The syndication and streaming licenses that South Park draws are worth much, much more than they've been paying Parker and Stone over the years.” He wouldn’t be surprised if Parker and Stone faced only a minor reprimand. However, as the episode showed, Trump has been relentless in his lawsuits and openly boasted about getting Colbert fired and keeping the media in line.
12. The Possibility of Content Censorship
Michael Sozan, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, believes Paramount might try to tone down “South Park’s” content, considering the company settled a lawsuit based on the flimsy claim that “60 Minutes” edited an interview with Kamala Harris to make it more flattering. But he warns that doing so could “wake up a sleeping giant” - the public. He says, “A lot of American people are starting to be more and more aware of how Trump is trying to censor reporters, but now also just entertainment shows that he disagrees with. That is something that authoritarians do.” People could respond with outrage or boycotts.
13. Other Controversies Surrounding Paramount
Moreover, senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have written a letter to Skydance CEO David Ellison seeking answers about the “secret side deal with President Trump” that allegedly offered him future PSAs. Trump has called Ellison’s father, Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison, a “friend.” California officials are also investigating whether the company engaged in bribery related to the deal, as Semafor reported. Sozan says, “If there's a Democratic administration and a Democratic Department of Justice starting three years from now, or Democratic House or Senate, Paramount also has opened itself up to the possibility of lots of investigations.”
14. The Significance of Satire
Sozan believes that the fact that “South Park” and late - night comics are issuing some of the harshest rebukes of Trump is fascinating. He says satire and joy are considered by scholars to be effective tools against authoritarians who “want to keep people depressed and in line.” He thinks the backlash over Paramount’s mounting controversies could be a genuine “cultural flash point.”
15. The Future of “South Park”
So far, there’s no indication that Paramount plans to censor “South Park.” However, the Skydance merger has only just been approved. At the end of the premiere episode, Cartman and Butters, seemingly representing Parker and Stone, attempt to kill themselves because Cartman is depressed that “woke is dead” and he has nothing to make fun of anymore. For fans of the show and advocates of free speech, let’s hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. It might be a good idea to watch the episode while it’s available.
