South Park’ Creators Joke About Trump Nude Scene After Network Pushback: “We’re Terribly Sorry”
Trey Parker and Matt Stone showed up at San Diego Comic-Con just one day after the premiere of South Park’s 27th season caused a stir.
The episode, which aired Wednesday on Comedy Central, featured a cartoon version of Donald Trump naked in bed with Satan, and people definitely noticed.
During a panel for adult animation that also included Mike Judge and Andy Samberg, moderator Josh Horowitz didn’t waste time asking the South Park creators how they felt about the reaction. Parker, keeping a straight face, said, “We’re terribly sorry.” That was all he said at first, but the topic came back around as the panel continued.
Parker and Stone explained that the creative process for South Park is still pretty wild after all these years. Parker shared that just three days before the premiere, they were still unsure how it would land. “We were going, ‘I don’t know if people are going to like this,'” he said. They kept reading headlines and decided, “Let’s put that in there.”
One of the more outrageous parts of the episode involved Trump’s p**** being shown on-screen. According to Parker, network executives wanted it blurred. “They were like, ‘We’re gonna blur the p****,’ and we’re like, ‘No, you’re not gonna blur the p****,'” he said. Stone added, “Then we put eyes on it — then it’s a character.”
The episode also included Satan bringing up Trump’s name in connection with the Epstein case and even touched on CBS canceling The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, which some think might be politically motivated. A version of Jesus Christ even warns the town to take Trump seriously.
This episode didn’t sit well with the White House. Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers told the press, “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.”
Comic-Con wasn’t just about the Trump drama. Stone also joked about how he mostly gets recognized by men, saying, “I’m older now, but it wasn’t that great to be recognized by just guys.” Parker and Stone talked about how they met through a shared love of Monty Python. Stone said, “In this day, when PBS is getting their funding cut, that’s how I found Monty Python,” which got cheers from the crowd.
Behind the scenes, Parker and Stone were also busy with business drama. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they were in the middle of a fight with Paramount and Skydance over streaming rights. The situation got messy enough that they brought in lawyer Bryan Freedman to help. Comedy Central had even delayed the premiere because of the back-and-forth.
In a now-deleted social media post, Parker and Stone said, “This merger is a s***show and it’s f***** up South Park. We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.”
Eventually, Paramount made a new five-year deal with their company, Park County, reportedly worth $1.5 billion. South Park will now stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. and deliver ten episodes a year.
Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission has approved Skydance’s $8 billion deal to acquire Paramount Global. Once the deal is done, Skydance will control Comedy Central, CBS, and other media properties. So the future of South Park might be bumpy, but it’s far from over.
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