South Park remains one of the most polarizing shows on air. The show’s fans love it for its irreverence, but sometimes the creators’ attitude can make even the network that airs it get cold feet. As such, the Charlie Kirk–centered Season 27, Episode 2 has been pulled from Comedy Central.
There’s not a single viewpoint on the political landscape that South Park hasn’t made fun of in its 28 years of existence. In the George W. Bush era, the show somehow took aim at both Bush, the devil, and Saddam Hussein. In the second Donald Trump administration, the show brought back the devil as a recurring character to showcase just how evil they considered Trump had become. That wasn’t taken so well by the Trump administration.
The show’s creators gave Trump a backhanded apology, but it was clear they had no intention of getting their foot off the gas when it came to critiquing the worst aspects of his administration. And the South Park writers didn’t just stop at criticizing Trump; they took aim at the entire neoconservative community.
Of course, just two days ago Charlie Kirk couldn’t be separated from what the right believed the West’s values should look like. South Park made a mockery of his debating style by having Clyde and Cartman compete to see who could say the most inflammatory statements — more so at university campuses, which had been Kirk’s signature stage as a conservative influencer and debater.
In the show, nothing violent ever happens to either character. Instead, the comedic twist comes when Cartman — whose lore in the series is built around racism and antisemitism — loses the “Charlie Kirk Award of Master Debaters.”
The episode has now been pulled from Comedy Central. The cable network will no longer show reruns of the episode. Seemingly, this is a case of extreme caution. MSNBC has already fired a correspondent for not showing adequate remorse for the truly tragic murder of Charlie Kirk, so this is not really a surprise.
In this case, however, there’s a mixed reaction. While some online are already placing blame for Kirk’s murder on the creators of South Park, there’s pushback from those who actually kept up with the show as it aired. What the show was trying to portray wasn’t that people should harm one another during disagreements but rather, in its own way, that the writers disagreed with Kirk.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone have blood on their hands.
— Lucky Teter (@TheMagaHulk) September 10, 2025
Remove South Park from all streaming services. pic.twitter.com/KPl0xjctnL
Kirk himself was never offended by the show portraying his likeness or mocking his often controversial views. According to Variety, he had already addressed his portrayal, saying, “Honestly, my first reaction was that I kinda laughed. It’s kinda funny, and it kinda goes to show the cultural impact and the resonance that our movement has been able to achieve. I look at this as a badge of honor.”
Kirk went on to advise conservatives not to take themselves too seriously, as challenges and even mockery are simply part of participating in the marketplace of ideas. Kirk’s killing was uncalled for, indefensible, and completely shocking. But if there was anything to learn from him, it was that people should address their differences through speech. He even briefly made the South Park parody of himself his profile picture for a short while.
