South Park has never shied away from controversy, but the latest episode of the long-running animated satire may have set a new bar... or possibly a new low, depending on your view.
The 27th season premiere, which aired this week, featured a hyper-realistic, deepfake scene of Donald Trump walking naked through a desert, with particular attention paid to what some might call his “less-than-impressive” endowment.
Unsurprisingly, the White House was not thrilled.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers fired off a sharp statement dismissing the show as “not relevant for over 20 years,” accusing it of clinging “by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.”
The statement was full praise for Trump’s “hot streak,” claiming he’s “delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country’s history.”
This despite, Trump failing to deliver his promise of tariff deals in 90 days, ending the Russia/Ukraine and Israel/Palestine wars in 24 hours and lowering grocery prices.
But the reaction on the South Park front was, well, classic.
At San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, co-creator Trey Parker gave the briefest, most deadpan response possible. Asked about the White House backlash, Parker sarcastically said: “We’re terribly sorry,” followed by a stare that could curdle milk.
His partner Matt Stone chipped in with the behind-the-scenes scoop on the production challenges of showing Trump’s bits on screen. Apparently, the producers initially insisted the team blur the president’s genitalia - a suggestion swiftly shot down.
“We said, ‘No, you’re not gonna blur the penis,’” Parker explained. Stone revealed that after four days of serious grown-up discussions, they came up with a compromise - slapping eyes on the penis to turn it into a character in its own right. Yes, really.
“If we put eyes on the penis, we won’t blur it,” Stone said, sounding simultaneously amused and exhausted by the process.
This bizarre bit of TV theatre fits comfortably into South Park’s long tradition of pushing boundaries, lampooning public figures, and courting outrage with gleeful irreverence.
The episode didn’t stop with the nudity though, it also mocked it’s boss Paramount’s recent $16 million settlement with Trump, just hours after Parker and Stone inked a hefty $1.5 billion deal for new episodes and streaming rights.
In the episode, Trump sues the town of South Park after locals challenge the presence of the actual Jesus Christ at the local elementary school.
Jesus, played with his usual cheeky charm, warns the townsfolk: “You guys saw what happened to CBS? Yeah, well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount. Do you really want to end up like Colbert?”
This line stings especially because CBS recently axed Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, days after Colbert publicly criticised Paramount’s settlement of Trump’s lawsuit regarding a “60 Minutes” interview.
The network claims the cancellation was a financial decision, but the timing fuels plenty of speculation.
Unlike most animated series that take months per episode, South Park famously cranks out episodes in just days, allowing the creators to respond in near real-time to cultural and political events.
“I don’t know what next week’s episode is going to be,” Parker confessed at Comic-Con. “Even just three days ago, we were like, ‘I don’t know if people are going to like this.’”
That willingness to take risks and to gleefully stick the middle finger up to anyone who gets upset, keeps South Park a thorn in the side of politics and pop culture.
So, while the White House might be fuming about the naked Trump spectacle, Parker and Stone are probably busy plotting just how much further they can continue to push the envelope and capitalise on the outrage.
