Anyone who takes on Donald Trump usually has a bad time in the USA these days. The cult animated series Southpark, on the other hand, is celebrating a phenomenal comeback with humorous brutal attacks against the US President. The number of viewers for the current season is about twice as high as for the previous season two years ago, reports the New York Times.
The first episode of the 27th season, which started in July, attracted maximum attention with a full broadside against Trump. The US President gets into bed with Satan, and Trump’s very small penis is explicitly discussed (and shown). “We just had to show our independence somehow,” explains South Park creator Matt Stone in the “New York Times” about the decision to make Trump the “star” of the season opener.
Criticism of the Trump administration has become the new taboo in the USA and taboos attract him and his co-author Trey Parker “like flies to honey,” says Stone. What adds to the explosiveness: Southpark is broadcast on Comedy Central, which belongs to the Paramount media group. And Paramount, in turn, had only recently given in to a multi-million dollar legal dispute with Donald Trump and had also decided to cancel the popular “Late Show” by Trump critic Stephen Colbert.
Southpark makes Trump a permanent guest star
But Trump and his sex escapades with the devil were no one-hit wonder. Inspired by the most successful start to the season in 25 years, the South Park makers are riding the wave mercilessly. Trump, who is now expecting a baby with Satan, as well as Vice President JD Vance and other MAGA figures also appear as joke characters in other episodes. One of the most recent episodes (officially the 28th season) deals with the demolition of the East Wing of the White House, with Trump promising the devil a new nursery for their child while secretly planning a party room for himself.
The South Park makers claim that they have not become political at all. It’s more like “politics has become pop culture,” says Parker. “We’re just normal middle-of-the-road guys. We make fun of all extremists, no matter what kind. We’ve done that for years with the ‘Woke’ theme. We thought that was hilarious. And we think this is hilarious too.”
Donald Trump might find it less funny. “This series has not been relevant for over 20 years and is struggling to stay afloat with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt to get attention,” a White House spokeswoman said after the first Trump-Penis-Satan episode. But the odds speak a different language.
Maybe that’s why Paramount has so far given its rebellious jokers a free hand. Just let them do their thing, assures Stone. What makes them think more is that some of their own fans are also telling them that they are slowly getting tired of all the Trump characters in the series. Next year the series will probably look different again, says Parker. And towards the Trump administration: “If we know one thing, it is that our show will run much longer than theirs.”
