Prime Highlights:
- Trey Parker issued a tongue-in-cheek apology at Comic-Con after the backlash for Season 27’s debut of South Park featuring naked Trump parody.
- It was just a few days back that the producers inked the $1.5 billion streaming rights and exclusive content agreement with Paramount.
Key Facts:
- The show began with a satirical deepfake Trump in a desert PSA, which offended the left.
- Parker and Stone signed a 5-year contract with Paramount to produce 50 new episodes and expand the show’s digital footprint.
Key Background
South Park co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were a rare public appearance at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 to discuss the show’s Season 27 premiere and its fiery take on Donald Trump. The animation masters sat alongside other industry legends but soon stole the spotlight with the show’s fiery material and the White House’s brusque response.
The episode, “Sermon on the Mount,” opens on a surreal, satirical deepfake-like montage of naked Trump making his way through the desert and preaching an over-the-top political sermon. Perhaps most boldly, the animation gave Trump’s cartoon genitals human-like characteristics — eyes — and spoke as an avowedly voice-of-character character. The creators explained at Comic-Con that Comedy Central initially requested them to cover the photo, but in making the photo have eyes, they asserted it became a character and therefore wasn’t censored.
Outside of its shock value, the installment took some sharp shots at Paramount, The Late Show cancellation, and corporate media consolidation. On one of its most memorable lines, the Jesus character scolds residents against the transgressions of Paramount’s manipulations, linking the Trump settlement and Colbert firing into the same media complex. The timely satire came just a few months after Paramount paid Trump $16 million in a legal settlement.
Despite the backlash — including the White House calling the show “irrelevant” and “a cry for attention” — the episode garnered strong online attention and sparked debate across platforms. At Comic-Con, Parker responded with characteristic sarcasm, saying, “We’re terribly sorry,” to audience laughter, making it clear the creators were unfazed.
Just a few days back, Parker and Stone inked a $1.5 billion deal with Paramount. Under their new deal, they are obligated to create an additional 50 new shows for Comedy Central and Paramount+, and the complete South Park library will be sold to Paramount’s streaming platform. That is how their creative dominance in the adults’ animation space is further ensured.
