South Park Creators Respond to White House Criticism with Deadpan Defiance
The latest season premiere of the long-running animated series, featuring a controversial depiction of former President Donald Trump, has drawn sharp rebuke from the White House, prompting a characteristically understated response from South Park co-creator Trey Parker.
The controversy stems from Wednesday night’s premiere episode of the show’s 27th season, which depicted Trump in a highly provocative scene involving Satan. The episode also featured a deepfake video of the former president, completely nude, and made repeated allusions to the size of his genitalia. Unlike other characters, Trump was portrayed not as an animated figure, but as a photograph of the former president superimposed onto an animated body.
During a panel at San Diego’s Comic-Con International on Thursday, Parker was asked about the White House’s reaction. His response was succinct: “We’re terribly sorry,” followed by a prolonged, deadpan stare.
The White House issued a statement earlier in the day, dismissing the show as irrelevant and attention-seeking. “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,” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers. “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.”
Parker revealed that producers initially requested a blurring of the controversial imagery. “They said, ‘OK, but we’re gonna blur the penis,’ and I said, ‘No you’re not gonna blur the penis,’” Parker recounted. His creative partner, Matt Stone, added that the team ultimately decided to give the depicted genitalia eyes, effectively turning it into a character. “If we put eyes on the penis, we won’t blur it. That was a whole conversation with grown-up people for four fucking days,” Stone stated.
The episode also takes aim at Paramount Global and its recent $16 million settlement with Trump, a development that occurred just hours after Parker and Stone signed a $1.5 billion, five-year deal with the company for 50 new episodes and streaming rights to previous seasons. Within the show’s narrative, Trump sues the town of South Park after residents challenge the presence of Jesus Christ in their elementary school. Jesus, in the episode, advises settling the dispute, referencing the fallout from Paramount’s settlement with Trump in a separate case. “You guys saw what happened to CBS? Yeah, well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount,” Jesus says in the episode. “Do you really want to end up like Colbert?”
The reference alludes to the recent cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show on CBS, days after Colbert criticized Paramount’s settlement with Trump over a 60 Minutes interview. CBS and Paramount executives have maintained that the decision to end The Late Show was based on financial considerations.
South Park’s rapid production cycle – episodes are often completed within days, and sometimes even hours of airing – allows the show to remain remarkably current. “I don’t know what next week’s episode is going to be,” Parker admitted at Comic-Con. “Even just three days ago, we were like, ‘I don’t know if people are going to like this.’”
This willingness to tackle controversial subjects with irreverent humor, coupled with its nimble production schedule, continues to define South Park’s enduring appeal, even in the face of criticism from the highest levels of government.
