South Park came back with full force on July 23, launching its 27th season with a premiere titled ‘Sermon on the Mount’ after a two-year break. The episode wastes no time diving into controversy, opening with a jaw-dropping scene of Donald Trump in bed with Satan. What follows is a relentless satire that blends deepfake-style visuals, naked caricatures of Trump, and biting commentary on American politics and media.
What happened in the premiere?
Using hyper-realistic animation superimposed with actual images of Trump’s face, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone push the envelope. From crude jokes about Trump’s anatomy to a surreal desert sequence featuring a fully nude Trump, the show does not hold back. The episode also skewers Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against Paramount, portraying a fictional lawsuit where Trump sues the town of South Park for $5 billion, ultimately settling for a cheeky $3.5 million, a nod to Paramount’s real-life $16 million settlement.
$1.5 billion deal with Paramount
South Park also takes aim at its new corporate parent, Paramount Global, just one day after Parker and Stone signed a massive $1.5 billion deal with the company. The agreement includes 50 new episodes over five years and exclusive streaming rights on Paramount+.
The episode touches on Trump’s disdain for NPR, mocking the former president’s censorship efforts and media vendettas. Cartman is devastated to learn that NPR, his go-to liberal-bashing station has been cancelled by Trump. Meanwhile, the president is portrayed hanging nude self-portraits in the White House and berating Canada with nationalist slurs. In one particularly pointed scene, he confuses Iraq and Iran during a heated exchange with the Canadian Prime Minister, blurting out: “Iran, Iraq, what the hell’s the difference? Relax, guy!” Satan, now a lover and ironic conscience, confronts Trump about his rumored ties to Jeffrey Epstein, adding yet another layer of provocation to an already scorching premiere.