The media conglomerate Paramount announced Wednesday afternoon that the creators of “South Park” had agreed to produce 50 new episodes over the next five years in a deal reportedly valued at $1.5 billion.
Ten hours later, “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker excoriated Paramount — and aggressively skewered President Donald Trump — in the premiere episode of the Comedy Central show’s 27th season.
In the episode, Trump (voiced by Stone) sues the town of South Park for $5 billion after they challenge Jesus Christ’s presence in their elementary school. The townspeople are prepared to fight back, but Jesus Christ (also voiced by Stone) urges them to settle.
“You guys saw what happened to CBS? Yeah, well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount,” Jesus Christ says at the episode’s climax. “Do you really want to end up like Colbert?”
Paramount is under intense scrutiny for appearing to kowtow to the Trump administration ahead of a proposed blockbuster merger. Stone and Parker were clearly riffing on their corporate parent’s eventful summer.
On July 2, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit from Trump, who alleged that CBS’ “60 Minutes” had deceptively edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. CBS denied that claim.
On July 17, CBS announced that it planned to cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in May, calling the move “purely a financial decision.” But many of Colbert’s fans cried foul, arguing the comedian was being penalized for his anti-Trump humor.
Both developments came as Paramount is preparing to be sold to Skydance Media, an entertainment production and finance company run by David Ellison, the son of Oracle mogul (and Trump ally) Larry Ellison. The corporate tie-up requires federal approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, responding to a question about the episode at a public meeting Thursday, said in part: “I’m not a ‘South Park’ watcher.”
Carr, who was appointed by Trump, added that the president believes “a handful of national programmers” should not “control and dictate to the American what the narrative is, what they can say, what they can think.”
The premiere episode, titled “Sermon on the ‘Mount,” took aim at other satirical targets, including the supposed death of “wokeness,” the rise of ChatGPT and the debate over Christian teachings in public schools. Trump and Paramount were the focal points, however.
In one scene, “60 Minutes” reports on the social unrest roiling South Park amid Trump’s lawsuit. The fictional hosts of the news show are visibly nervous as they introduce the segment, going out of their way to praise the president as “a great man.”
“We know he’s probably watching,” one of the hosts says.
CBS is not the only network to reach a legal settlement with Trump. ABC agreed to pay $15 million as part of a settlement with Trump a month before he took office, effectively ending a case concerning alleged defamation.
Paramount’s settlement with Trump has drawn more attention, though. Colbert, three days before CBS announced the end of his show, blasted the arrangement as a “big fat bribe.” Jon Stewart, the host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” also assailed the deal.
Paramount owns CBS, a venerable Hollywood movie studio, a suite of cable brands (including Comedy Central) and the Paramount+ streaming platform.
“South Park” is widely known for jabbing politicians and social trends across the ideological spectrum. But the latest episode’s depiction of Trump arguably went further than usual.
Stone and Parker depict Trump as a petulant child, recycling the animation style they used for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1999 film “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.” They also make profane references to the president’s anatomy.
“Sermon on the ‘Mount” closes with an apparently AI-generated video of Trump wandering in a desert and removing his clothes.
Paramount spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the episode.
In a statement, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in part: “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,” Rogers added.
