Wren Graves (Managing Editor): Manner again in 2017, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone mentioned they deliberate to “again off” jokes about Donald Trump. “It’s actually difficult now as satire has turn out to be actuality,” Parker defined on the time. As just lately as final 12 months they appeared intent on sticking to that plan, asserting that they’d skip the 2024 election “on objective,” with Parker including, “I don’t know what extra we might probably say about Trump.”
Someway, they mentioned extra. Season 27 premiered with “Sermon on the ’Mount,” one in every of South Park‘s most stunning episodes in years, with vivid jokes about Trump’s corruption and penis-size, alongside assaults on Comedy Central’s guardian firm, Paramount.
There’s so much to get into, from politics to media, company funds to the state of satire in 2025. However let’s start right here: What modified? After seven years of telling just about any interviewer who requested that they didn’t need to contact Trump, why do you assume they pivoted so rapidly after the 2024 election?
Alex Younger (Writer): I’m not going to attempt to mind-read Matt and Trey, however the easiest rationalization is that they clashed with then-incoming Paramount/Skydance CEO David Ellison over streaming distribution rights this previous summer season — all whereas the corporate was cozying as much as the Trump Administration. That clearly ticked them off, as evidenced by the assertion they launched when asserting the present’s postponement, and it basically grew to become the muse for the season premiere episode (alongside Trump’s notorious micro-penis subplot). Given the episode’s record-breaking rankings — a 26-year excessive — and the following response from the White Home, Matt and Trey can be loopy to not maintain pursuing that storyline.
Liz Shannon Miller (Senior Leisure Editor): From my perspective, it appears like the reply comes from the diploma to which the Trump Administration has tried to take over trendy American life, with Trump himself a lot extra distinguished a determine than he was throughout his first administration. For 2 guys with a transparent ardour for difficult authority, the bait is just too tempting, particularly contemplating how a lot materials this present administration is giving them when it comes to over-the-top coverage choices and ridiculous characters. After seeing the methods the present has chosen to depict Kristi Noem and JD Vance, I’m more and more desirous to see how they may take intention at Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Alex: Yeah, the fascinating query is what different hot-button points they’ll deal with subsequent. To this point, they’ve gone after Republican-led cancel tradition, company capitulation, immigration, and Epstein — all matters that line up with their libertarian leanings. On the similar time, they continue to be equal-opportunity offenders, and their most important initiative appears to be discovering new methods to skewer Trump, his lackeys, and their very own guardian firm’s entanglement with him, versus advocating on behalf of a particular concern.
Wren: They’ve by no means been huge on the problems, besides perhaps “Go away us alone.”
Liz: Taking over Trump on this approach additionally comes with the extra good thing about permitting Stone and Parker to taunt their guardian firm at a politically very risky time for Paramount, which is actually consuming quite a lot of shit proper now for the compromises it’s made on the information facet of its operation. Which feels very true to the character of this present.
Wren: Let’s unpack that. The timing right here is exceptional: South Park indicators a $1.5 billion cope with Paramount lower than two days earlier than airing their most provocative Trump content material. The episode itself mocks Paramount for settling with Trump for $16 million. This appears like both the most costly center finger in tv historical past or a calculated wager that controversy drives extra worth than litigation danger. How ought to we take into consideration this from a company governance perspective? Are Parker and Stone demonstrating their leverage, or is Paramount utilizing South Park as a warmth defend to take stress off the Colbert cancelation and say issues their information division can’t?