White House fires back after Trump’s bizarre South Park Season 27 debut

The South Park Season 27 premiere did not shy away at all. Titled Sermon on the Mount, the Season 27 debut delivered an explosive return to the screen, putting the show smack in the middle of a political firestorm in the real world that it wasted no time poking fun at.

South Park has become famous for taking shots at everyone from celebrities to deities; however, this episode’s portrayal of President Donald Trump in the latest South Park debut ended up receiving a real-world reaction.

The White House officially responded to the show’s satire. It also arrives at a very fraught moment: in the wake of Paramount’s $16 million settlement with Trump, which “The Good Fight” also aims at. The timing and specifics of it have ignited a culture clash between the executive branch and a long-running animated show, as well as the network that has to juggle both.

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What did the White House say about South Park?

In response to the episode, a White House spokesperson issued a strongly worded statement condemning the show and its creators. Taylor Rogers, speaking to Variety, said:

“The Left’s hypocrisy truly has no end – for years they have come after ‘South Park’ for what they labeled as ‘offense’ content, but suddenly they are praising the show.”

Rogers continued, stating,

“Just like the creators of ‘South Park,’ the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows.”

Calling the episode a desperate grab for attention, the statement went on to criticise the show’s perceived decline:

“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.”

The statement concluded by pivoting back to President Trump’s political record:

“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.”

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What was the South Park episode about?

The episode focuses on President Donald Trump vowing to sue the eponymous town after the residents protest his cause. The tension mounts, and then the character of Jesus Christ drops in from the sky not to lend support to the protest, but to give a warning of the potential repercussions.

Jesus tells the townspeople,

“You saw what happened with you guys with CBS? Yeah, well, who owns CBS? Paramount. Do you really want to be like Colbert?”

The 60 Minutes interview is referenced directly in the show, with a fictional line drawn between that real-world settlement, Paramount’s willingness to erase an unflattering depiction of President Trump, and censorship panic within the South Park universe.

The most discussed moment in the episode, in which President Donald Trump is represented by a realistic photo head on an animated body, getting into bed with Satan. “Let’s go, Satan, been working hard today,” he says before lifting the blanket to uncover tiny genitalia. “I don’t see anything, it’s so small,” says Satan.

The closing scene here has a deepfake Donald Trump wading naked through the desert, narrated by a portentous voiceover: “When the heat’s closing in, who will save us from temptation? Donald J. Trump. It doesn’t matter how hot it is, he’s not afraid to fight for America.” The sequences culminated with his genitalia once more, this time animated with eyes and a mouth, which mouths the slogan:

“Trump. His penis is teeny-tiny, but his love for us is big.”

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What did the South Park creators say at Comic-Con?

At the San Diego Comic-Con, South Park co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone addressed the controversy. As reported by Associated Press, when asked about the White House backlash, Parker offered a typically dry response:

“We’re terribly sorry."

The panel also revealed behind-the-scenes negotiations over just how far the episode would go with its more explicit content. Parker shared that producers initially tried to censor part of the nudity:

“They said, ‘OK, but we’re gonna blur the penis,’ and I said, ‘No you’re not gonna blur the penis’.”

As per The Guardian, Stone added another layer to that conversation, recalling how they pushed to keep the animation uncensored by making the genitalia a literal character:

“If we put eyes on the penis, we won’t blur it. That was a whole conversation with grown-up people for four f--king days.”

The premiere comes just days after Parker and Stone signed a five-year, $1.5 billion deal with Paramount to deliver 50 new episodes and bring all previous seasons to Paramount+ for the first time. Whether the episode fuels another lawsuit or not, South Park appears ready to keep pushing buttons and boundaries well into its new era.