In a scathing Thanksgiving special that aired this week, the iconic animated series South Park delivered a brutal satire targeting Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's social media addiction and Saudi Arabia's growing influence in Western entertainment.
The Turkey Trot Takes a Political Turn
The episode titled 'Turkey Trot' centres around the town's annual Thanksgiving race, which seeks sponsorship from Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Pete Hegseth arrives with the Department of War and mistakenly identifies the community event as an Antifa uprising, setting the stage for the episode's biting political commentary.
Throughout the special, the character representing Hegseth obsessively focuses on creating social media content, constantly urging his Department of War soldiers to help him film videos. In one particularly memorable scene, he desperately pleads with his virtual audience to 'like and subscribe' while attempting chin-ups - a direct reference to the real-life video featuring Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
A Musical Insult and Saudi Sponsorship Controversy
The animated Hegseth receives his own theme song, set to the tune of Kenny Loggins's 'Danger Zone', which repeatedly brands him a 'f***ing d****e'. The episode concludes with Hegseth attacking Turkey Trot participants alongside Kristi Noem's ICE agents.
Parallel to the Hegseth storyline, the show tackles the ongoing controversy surrounding Saudi Arabia's entertainment investments. The townspeople speculate about securing Saudi sponsorship for their event, with one character noting: 'I mean, they're giving money to everyone else. Why not us?'
A promotional video for the race explicitly states: 'Disparaging remarks towards the Saudi royal family are strictly prohibited', mirroring the real-world conditions imposed on comedians at October's Riyadh Comedy Festival.
Cartman's Defence of Saudi 'Progress'
The episode features a heated exchange between Cartman and Tolkien Black, who refuses to participate in the Saudi-sponsored event. Cartman challenges Tolkien's position, asking: 'What, Tolkien, you don't like that Saudi Arabia is buying American stuff? They're trying to be progressive, OK? You want them to go back to what they were doing?'
This dialogue directly references the real-world debate surrounding high-profile comedians including Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart, Louis C.K., Jimmy Carr and Jack Whitehall, who received substantial fees for performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival while agreeing to avoid jokes about religions or Saudi royals.
In recent interviews, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker explained their approach to contemporary politics. Parker told The New York Times: 'It's not that we got all political. It's that politics became pop culture.'
Stone added that speaking against the Trump administration had become 'taboo', noting: 'Trey and I are attracted to that like flies to honey. Oh, that's where the taboo is? Over there? OK, then we're over there.'
Parker clarified that their satire targets extremists across the political spectrum, stating: 'We're just very down-the-middle guys. Any extremists of any kind, we make fun of. We did it for years with the woke thing. That was hilarious to us. And this is hilarious to us.'
