South Park has launched its 27th season with a blistering episode that takes aim at both Donald Trump and its parent company, Paramount, just one day after signing a $1.5bn deal with the network. The premiere, titled Sermon on the ’Mount, depicts the US president in bed with the character Satan and covers Trump’s lawsuit against Paramount, the cancellation of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and Trump’s attacks on Canada.
The episode features an actual photograph of Trump superimposed on an animated body, along with a hyper-realistic deepfake video of him walking naked in a desert. Repeated suggestions about his genitalia are made. The plot revolves around Jesus being present in South Park’s schools, covered by a parody of 60 Minutes, satirising Paramount’s recent settlement with Trump over a lawsuit regarding alleged election interference by CBS News.
The deal, announced on Wednesday, sees South Park Digital Studios and Park County – run by creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker – grant Paramount+ Global rights to 50 new episodes over five years, exclusively streaming on Paramount+ worldwide. The entire back catalogue will also be available on Paramount+ in the US. This comes amid a contentious merger between Paramount and Skydance, controlled by the son of Trump ally Larry Ellison, which has been criticised by Parker and Stone for delaying the season premiere.
Media analyst Dylan Byers of Puck noted the defiance of Parker and Stone in going “scorched earth on Paramount” so soon after securing such a lucrative deal. The episode also references Trump’s cancellation of NPR shows and the Epstein list, with Satan directly asking Trump about unreleased files relating to Jeffrey Epstein.
The townspeople of South Park eventually agree to pay Trump $3.5m and produce pro-Trump messaging to avoid a lawsuit, leading to the aforementioned deepfake video. The episode serves as a sharp critique of corporate media’s capitulation to political power, as exemplified by Paramount’s settlement and the cancellation of Colbert’s show.
