‘South Park’ is taking aim at President Trump — and turning the feud into ratings gold.
The long-running animated series has doubled down this season with over-the-top mockery of Trump and his allies. Episodes have featured Trump in bed with Satan, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blasting cartoon dogs, and even Dora the Explorer giving massages at Mar-a-Lago.
The Trump administration, not amused, has fired back with angry statements dismissing the show as irrelevant. But comedy and media observers say the fight is reviving the show’s cultural edge, fueling its popularity, and giving creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone more ammunition than ever.
“This feels like two rival TV shows battling it out,” said Matt Sienkiewicz, a Boston College communications chair. “The government has gotten so cartoonish, it makes ‘South Park’s’ satire land harder.”
The feud appears to be paying off. The Season 27 premiere in July drew Comedy Central’s highest ratings in decades, while clips mocking Trump have exploded on social media. Critics note that Trump’s own combative responses only give Parker and Stone more material. “Any good comic knows if you’re under someone’s skin, you keep burrowing in,” said comedy producer Jim Mendrinos.
Noem, furious after an episode mocked her makeup, blasted the show as “lazy” and sexist. The creators answered by releasing an alternate ending online showing her shooting dogs, referencing her own past admissions about killing a family pet.
Even Paramount, which owns Comedy Central, has been dragged in. The show recently lampooned a $16 million settlement payment the company made to Trump’s foundation, framing it as a corporate capitulation. Still, Paramount CEO David Ellison defended Parker and Stone as “equal opportunity offenders.”
For years, “South Park” faded somewhat from cultural buzz, especially under Biden. But Trump’s return has reignited its fire. Scholars say viewers dissatisfied with the news media’s coverage of Trump are flocking to the show’s unapologetic takedowns.
Whether the clash between “South Park” and Trump World lasts is uncertain. But right now, it’s boosting the show’s ratings, inflaming Trump’s White House, and proving once again that mockery — especially in animation — can hit just as hard as politics itself.