A new report reveals howSouth Parkwas able to air an episode that brutally satirizes President Donald Trump.South Parkseason 27returned after a two-year hiatus with a premiere episode that is critical of the President. Following a legal battle over streaming rights,South Parkepisodes will now air on Paramount+, and the entire catalog will leave HBO Max on August 5.
PerPuck, Matthew Belloni reports how the episode came to air.South Parkco-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone wereworking on the episode “right up until the day it aired.“South Parkproducer Anne Garefino shared with Paramount executive Keyes Hill-Edgar about the content of the episode, who passed the information off to CBS co-C.E.O.s Chris McCarthy, George Cheeks, and Brian Robbins.
The trio decided to air the episode, but brought it to the attention of Shari Redstone, the non-executive chairwoman of Paramount Global, as the company needed F.C.C. approval for a merger with Skydance. She reportedly did not watch the episode, but after having it described to her,decided that “she would back their ruling” and trusted their judgment.
What This Means For South Park
The Episode Airing Comes At An Interesting Time
The timing of when the episode aired is very interesting, as theParamount Global and Skydance merger was approved. Paramount Global has been under scrutiny recently as the companypaid President Trump a $16 million settlement over aCBS Newslawsuit. The settlement came afterCBShad previously stated that the lawsuit was “completely without merit.”
The President claimed he will also be getting an additional $20 millionfrom the new Paramount owners in the form of advertising, public service announcements, and other pro-Trump programming (perThe Guardian).
Additionally, ParamountcancelledThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertdays after the frequent critic of President Trump called the settlement a bribe. While this was called a financially-based decision as the show was reportedly losing $40 million, many have questioned that rationale.
Our Take On The Report
Season 27 Was Always Going To Have Strong Reactions
Given all the public legal battles surrounding thestreaming rights toSouth Park, the merger, and President Trump’sCBS Newslawsuit,it comes as somewhat of a surprise that the episode made it to air. AlthoughPuck’s report does say that some of the harsher jokes were “actually way more incendiary until some late trims,” it’s still an episode that directly lambastes the President. Leading up to the merger, many have been critical of Paramount Global for trying to curry favor with the White House.
As seen in theSouth Parkseason 27 trailer, it was already known that the series would be tackling some hot-button issues, including Sean “Diddy” Combs. In its return,South Parkstarted its latest installment with a cutthroat episode, so it will be interesting to see what the rest of the season will bring.
South Park
Cast
South Park follows the irreverent misadventures of four grade-schoolers—Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny—that take place in the quiet, dysfunctional town of South Park, Colorado. The animated series explores various social and political issues through its characters' humorous and often absurd escapades.
