EXCLUSIVE: The White House went on to the offensive this morning as an irrate Donald Trump fumes over last night’s South Park season 27 premiere that depicted him as a Satan canoodling and less than well-endowed pompous bully – to put it mildly
“The President is seething over the childish attack by South Park,” an administration source tells Deadline this morning. However, as annoyed as POTUS unsurprisingly is over Trey Parker and Matt Stone‘s cartoon depiction of him and the harsh mock AI-generated PSA that had the flabby MAGA chief naked in the desert with his minuscule privates perking up, the White House were not blindsided by the “Sermon on the ‘Mount” satire.
With FCC approval of Skydance‘s drawn out merger with Paramount imminent, the administration were given a heads up over the South Park premiere, I’m told. Whether that involved actually seeing a screener or merely a description of the extremely topical episode is unclear.
Reps for the David Ellison-led Skydance did not respond to request for comment on the episode. Contacted by Deadline, Paramount had “no comment” on the matter.
On the other hand, with nothing yet from Trump himself on social media, the White House was more than eager to go on the record and on the counterattack
“The Left’s hypocrisy truly has no end – for years they have come after South Park for what they labeled as ‘offense’ content, but suddenly they are praising the show,” White House Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers told Deadline this AM.
“Just like the creators of South Park, the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows,” Rogers added. “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. President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country’s history – and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”
Note there was no mention, punitive or otherwise, of the Skydance/Paramount situation by Rogers.
The South Park episode itself certainly mention the deal as well as toggling between Stephen Colbert’s recent late night axing, efforts to kneecap diversity programs, Trump’s penchant for suing critical media outlets (like CBS, who handed POTUS $16 million earlier this month over what was called a “meritless” 60 Minutes suit), Jesus in the school system, censorship and corporate kowtowing. Even the successful cutting of public broadcasting fund got a cameo. “Who the hell does the president think he is?” South Park’s whining Cartman exclaims in the premiere about the blows against NPR. “The government can’t cancel a show. I mean, what show are they going to cancel next?”
Of course, with a deft reference to Saddam Hussein and 1999’s South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut movie in the cartoon affair between Trump and Satan, it was the “pro-Trump messaging” at the end that really took the episode to a whole new level unmatched for the first six months of the heavy handed former Celebrity Apprentice host’s return to power. A nod to Trump’s assertion that there was a PSA side deal in his settlement with CBS, the scene comes as the town of South Park ends a fictional multi-billion suit from POTUS for $3.5 million.
You can see what that messaging looked like here – but be warned, it is very graphic and very NSFW:
Just days after signing a hard fought and very lucrative 5-year-deal with Paramount, South Park creators Parker and Stone are scheduled to appear at San Diego Comic Con Thursday …can you guess what they might discuss?
Ted Johnson contributed to this article
