South Park co-creator Trey Parker delivered a deadpan “We’re terribly sorry” to President Donald Trump at Comic-Con International in San Diego on Thursday, following White House criticism of the show’s explosive season 27 premiere that depicted the president naked in bed with Satan.
The mock apology came just hours after the Trump administration approved Paramount’s £6.4 billion ($8 billion) merger with Skydance Media, despite the Comedy Central show’s brutal satirical attack on both the president and its parent company.
Parker, appearing alongside co-creator Matt Stone, Mike Judge of Beavis and Butt-Head, and actor Andy Samberg at a Comedy Central panel, offered the brief response when moderator Josh Horowitz asked if they had been following reactions to Wednesday night’s controversial episode.
White House Lashes Out at “Fourth-Rate” Show
The White House unleashed a scathing response to the season 27 premiere, titled “Sermon on the ‘Mount,” which featured Trump with what the show described as a “teeny tiny” penis attempting to seduce Satan in the White House bedroom.
“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,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement. “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.”
Sources within the administration told reporters that “The President is seething over the childish attack by South Park,” with clips from the episode circulating among White House staff throughout Thursday.
£1.2 Billion Deal Precedes Paramount Roasting
The controversy erupted less than 24 hours after Parker and Stone secured a massive £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) five-year deal with Paramount for streaming rights and 50 new episodes. The agreement, valued at £240 million ($300 million) per year, ranks among the most lucrative in television history.
The episode savagely mocked Paramount’s recent £12.8 million ($16 million) settlement with Trump over a 60 Minutes interview and the abrupt cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, decisions widely viewed as attempts to appease the administration ahead of the merger approval.
“You guys saw what happened to CBS? Well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount,” a Jesus character warns South Park residents in the episode. “Do you really want to end up like Colbert?”
Battle Over Trump’s Animated Anatomy
During the Comic-Con panel, Parker revealed Comedy Central executives attempted to censor the president’s animated genitalia, leading to a four-day negotiation.
“They’re like, ‘OK, but we’re gonna blur the penis,’ and I said, ‘No you’re not gonna blur the penis,'” Parker explained, drawing laughter from the packed Hall H audience.
The episode also featured an AI-generated public service announcement showing Trump wandering naked through a desert, with narration declaring: “His penis is teeny tiny, but his love for us is large.” South Park creators even launched a website, HeTrumpedUs.com, hosting the controversial PSA.
Paramount Under Fire for Trump Appeasement
The satirical assault comes amid mounting criticism that Paramount has been bowing to Trump administration pressure to secure regulatory approval for its merger with Skydance Media, owned by David Ellison, son of Trump ally Larry Ellison.
Critics point to several recent decisions as evidence of corporate capitulation: the £12.8 million settlement over baseless claims about a Kamala Harris interview, the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s late-night show citing “financial reasons,” and reports that Skydance promised to eliminate diversity initiatives.
“Imagine being such a business genius that you paid someone $1.5 billion to yank your pants down on national television,” media critic Brian McNair observed.
Last-Minute Creative Process
Parker admitted the controversial episode came together at the last moment, in typical South Park fashion. “Even just three days ago, we were like, ‘I don’t know if people are going to like this,'” he said at Comic-Con.
The creators revealed they were reading newspaper headlines and decided to incorporate current events directly into the episode, continuing their nearly three-decade tradition of rapid-response satire.
When asked what fans could expect from the rest of season 27, Stone joked: “No politics. None of that shit,” prompting knowing laughter from the audience.
Historic Pattern of Presidential Mockery
The episode marks South Park’s return to presidential satire after Parker previously said the show had fallen into a “trap” of mocking Trump weekly during his first term. The new portrayal uses actual photos of Trump’s face on an animated body with the show’s signature Canadian-style flapping mouth, reminiscent of their treatment of Saddam Hussein in 1999.
Multiple scenes in the White House depicted paintings of Trump riding tanks, engaging with sheep, and posing nude, while the grounds featured what appeared to be a MAGA tailgate party with Kid Rock and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene lounging by a pool.
Satan even confronts Trump about Jeffrey Epstein rumours, saying: “It’s weird that whenever it comes up, you just tell everyone to relax.
Merger Approval Despite Controversy
Despite the savage mockery, Trump’s Federal Communications Commission approved the Paramount-Skydance merger on Thursday along party lines, with FCC Chairman Brendan Carr stating he’s “not a South Park watcher” when asked about the episode.
The approval came after Skydance reportedly assured the administration it would showcase “a diversity of viewpoints” and address alleged bias in CBS news coverage.
Parker and Stone concluded their Comic-Con appearance by receiving the Inkpot Award for Excellence in Animation, with Stone offering a brief “This is very cool. Thank you.”
South Park airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central, with episodes available on Paramount+ the following day as part of the new streaming agreement.
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Image Credit:
Trey Parker – Photo by Peabody Awards, licensed under CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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