In an interview with Vanity Fair in September, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone all but swore off satirizing Donald Trump, with Parker noting, “I don’t know what more we could possibly say.”
We found out what more they could say yesterday, in brutal fashion. The same day Paramount announced a five-year streaming deal with South Park, including 50 new episodes, the show’s 27th season premiere mercilessly mocked both President Trump and the network for capitulating to his demands, settling with him over the 60 Minutes lawsuit, and canceling The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The episode, called “Sermon on the ’Mount,” did not hold back on crass jokes aimed at Trump, showing him with a “teeny tiny” penis both in animation and as a deepfake and portraying him as Satan’s lover in a style reminiscent of the gay Saddam Hussein character from the 1999 movie South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.
The episode aired as Paramount is set to merge with media company Skydance. Politicians and media personalities alike are speculating that the company’s eagerness to keep Trump happy is motivated by gaining the US Federal Communications Commission’s approval of the deal, which was made official Thursday evening. Before being fired, Colbert, a late-night ratings leader, described Paramount’s $16-million settlement with Trump as a “big fat bribe” and on Monday’s show he said “the gloves are off” while telling the president “go fuck yourself.” Between Colbert’s remaining season, network colleague Jon Stewart’s scathing indictment of both Paramount and CBS, the new South Park deal, and a transformative merger, the company appears to be looking at a period where some of its biggest stars are openly hostile to both it and the president.
“I welcome Skydance’s commitment to make significant changes at the once storied CBS broadcast network,” FCC chairman Brendan Carr—who wrote Project 2025’s chapter on the telecommunications agency—reportedly said in a statement Thursday supporting the merger. “Today’s decision also marks another step forward in the FCC’s efforts to eliminate invidious forms of DEI.”
Paramount did not respond to WIRED’s requests for comment. In a statement emailed to WIRED, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers derided South Park as irrelevant and derided “left” fans who liked the season opener.
“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 wrote.
“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.”