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If you thought Wednesday was only about mysteries, think again! Season 2 slipped in a tongue-in-cheek political gag that had eagle-eyed fans chuckling. Principal Dort schemes his way into Nevermore after Weems' death in one of the show's darker arcs. He then manipulates Bianca’s siren powers and pulls strings to get donations from the wealthiest alumni: the Frump family.
Yes, you read that right. The "Frumps."
When Dort unveils a proposed project for Grandmama Hester Frump, he refers to it as the "Frump Tower." For fans with even a passing knowledge of American politics, that little layout practically flashes Trump Tower!
One Redditor, u/TomerBrosh, nailed the connection: "We all know that Frump Tower is a joke on Trump Tower, right?" Fans compared the Addams-adjacent family to Trump’s gaudy empire...and the not-so-subtle satire.
Wednesday twisted the Frumps into political satire
The setup is classic Wednesday: family drama with cynicism. The proud and eccentric grandmama Hester Frump becomes a pawn in Principal Dort’s power play. He courts her money, flatters her with grand architectural visions, and presents a layout for a revamped Nevermore Academy.
Front and center in that proposal? Frump Tower.
The joke lands on multiple levels. On the surface, it’s a nod to Trump Tower’s over-the-top wealth. Beneath it, it shows how institutions can bend to the influence of money, even if the benefactor’s demands are absurd. It’s very much in the spirit of Wednesday's commentary on inequality.
Morticia’s ties to the Frump side of the family only make the satire sharper. As fans joked, maybe we’ll even get a "Ronald Frump" character looming over Nevermore. While that is unlikely (because the show loves its women and won't give much space to a patriarch), it could caricature a certain US president!
A South Park echo in Nevermore
What makes the reference juicier is South Park’s recent premiere, which The Guardian described as its "most furious" takedown of Donald Trump.
That episode (Sermon on the Mount) showed Trump as a talking appendage-toting despot in bed with Satan. Honestly, that was NOT subtle.
The writers of the Jenna Ortega starrer don’t go nearly that far, but the style is similar. South Park, on the other hand, skewers Trump with grotesque humor. By sliding in "Frump Tower," Wednesday tips its hat to that satire.
Well, much campier and not via a crude cartoon.
South Park is brash and angry, and Wednesday is moody and sly. Yet, both recognize that Trump’s brand of excess makes fodder for parody, though. When Dort unveils his Nevermore skyscraper with a grin, it’s straight out of the South Park playbook --- weaponizing absurdity to hint at corruption.
Why does this matter for the show's tone?
Overall, Wednesday doesn't need political commentary to survive. It thrives on dysfunction, comedy, and murder. But it feels sharp when it does lean into satire. The Frump Tower gag doesn’t hammer you over the head.
But once you catch it, the absurdity oozes out!
It also reflects the Addams family ethos, with outcasts calling out the ridiculousness of so-called "normie" society. With his towers and wealth, Trump makes the perfect punchline in Nevermore. If South Park is willing to burn Trump at the stake, Wednesday buries him with a tower-shaped gravestone.
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Season 3 is confirmed but will premiere in 2027.
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