South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone offered a sarcastic apology after the White House reacted strongly to their latest episode, which controversially depicted former President Donald Trump.
The Shocking Premiere
The Season 27 opener of South Park immediately made headlines due to its provocative content. The episode featured a striking scene that portrayed Donald Trump naked in bed with Satan.
This particular depiction quickly drew sharp criticism from the White House, who publicly labeled the long-running animated show “fourth-rate” and accused it of being desperate for attention.
A Mock Apology Delivered
During a panel discussion at Comic-Con International in San Diego, South Park co-creator Trey Parker addressed the ongoing controversy. When asked about the White House’s reaction, Parker responded with a mock-serious expression.
“We’re terribly sorry,” he quipped, alongside co-creator Matt Stone. The panel also included other notable figures in animation, such as Beavis and Butt-Head creator Mike Judge and actor Andy Samberg.
White House Fires Back Hard
The day following the episode’s broadcast, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers released a strongly worded statement. Rogers asserted that the show “hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years” and was “hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.”
The statement went on to praise President Trump’s accomplishments, claiming he had “delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country’s history,” concluding that “no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”
South Park’s Satirical Path
The satirical animated series is well-known for its willingness to take aim at figures of authority. Even so, this specific episode managed to stun many viewers and critics, with The Guardian going as far as to call it “South Park’s most furious episode ever.”
The episode aired on Paramount+ shortly after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved a significant merger involving Paramount Global. This approval came weeks after Paramount Global had agreed to pay a substantial sum to settle a legal dispute with Trump, stemming from a CBS interview.
Learning from the Past
In 2017, Trey Parker had previously shared with The Los Angeles Times that South Park had fallen into a “trap” of mocking the U.S. president on a weekly basis. He admitted that both he and Matt Stone “hated it” but found themselves “stuck in it somehow.”
At that time, Parker expressed a desire for the show to revert to its original roots: focusing on “Kids being kids and being ridiculous and outrageous,” rather than being solely driven by political commentary.
- South Park’s latest season opened with a controversial scene depicting Donald Trump.
- The White House responded by calling the show “fourth-rate” and attention-seeking.
- Co-creator Trey Parker offered a sarcastic “apology” at Comic-Con.
- The show has a history of impactful satire but previously sought to reduce its weekly political focus.
This incident underscores the ongoing friction between sharp political satire and those who find themselves its targets, a dynamic South Park has expertly navigated for decades.
