‘South Park’ Rebrands Itself as ‘South America’ in Its Latest Political Jab
Few shows in television history have built quite as consistent a reputation for skewering current events as this long-running animated satire. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have spent nearly three decades turning whatever dominates the news cycle into fodder for their signature brand of biting comedy, and their latest stunt continues that tradition right on cue with the show’s newest season premiere.
The series has already made headlines multiple times this year for its willingness to directly target President Donald Trump, and its latest gag takes a similarly pointed approach while riffing on a very specific piece of recent political news. Rather than simply writing jokes about a topic, Parker and Stone decided to make the show itself part of the bit this time around.
Ahead of Season 29’s premiere, the creators announced that ‘South Park’ would temporarily be rebranded as ‘South America,’ unveiling the change through a promotional image showing the show’s iconic town sign with “Park” swapped out for “America.” The statement accompanying the announcement read, “Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of ‘South Park’ to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation.”
The joke draws a clear line to President Trump’s recent executive actions targeting geographic names, including his order renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America” and his earlier push to have the Gulf of Mexico referred to as the “Gulf of America.” Both Apple and Google adjusted how those locations appear on their U.S.-facing mapping services following the administration’s push, a detail Parker and Stone specifically called out in their statement.
New look at the ‘SOUTH AMERICA’ premiere — formerly named ‘SOUTH PARK’. Releasing tomorrow on Comedy Central. https://t.co/Kp2c0mJYaC
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 15, 2026
The rebrand arrives on the heels of ‘South Park’ winning the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, giving the announcement an added layer of timing that made the satirical stunt feel especially pointed. The show has consistently used real-world political developments as source material throughout its run, and this latest gag continues that tradition by folding the joke directly into the show’s own promotional identity rather than simply addressing it within an episode’s storyline.
When e-bikes arrive in South America, the boys take over the streets and the parents of South America can hardly recognize South America, in an all-new episode titled "South American Biker Gangs" premiering Wednesday, September 16 at 10p on Comedy Central. pic.twitter.com/WbMBdaShKf
— South America (@SouthPark) September 14, 2026
The title change is entirely satirical and temporary, not an actual permanent rebrand of the long-running series. Once Season 29 premieres and runs its course, ‘South Park’ is expected to revert back to its original name for future seasons and continued distribution.
Season 29 premieres Wednesday, September 16, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central, with new episodes streaming the next day on Paramount+. The season will run for a total of six episodes, airing every two weeks with additional installments scheduled for September 30, October 14, October 28, and November 11, before wrapping with a finale on November 25.
First trailer for ‘South Park’ Season 27
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) April 2, 2025
Premiering on July 9pic.twitter.com/eYoPgRNY1a
This release pattern continues the streaming arrangement Parker and Stone secured last year, when they signed a five-year deal with Paramount+ worth a reported $1.5 billion, guaranteeing ten new episodes annually split across the season’s ongoing rollout. That deal has kept the show firmly positioned within Paramount’s broader portfolio, making the creators’ jab at their own parent company in the rebrand announcement feel like a particularly self-aware bit of comedy.
For a show that’s built its entire legacy on skewering whatever dominates the headlines, this latest stunt offers exactly the kind of timely, self-referential humor longtime fans have come to expect. Whatever ‘South America’s’ premiere episode ends up tackling, Parker and Stone have already made it clear they have no intention of easing up on their political targets anytime soon.
What do you think of South Park temporarily rebranding itself as South America?
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