White House lashes out at US sitcom South Park's Trump parody
South Park creators Matt Stone (left) and Trey Parker have been criticised by The White House after the bawdy satire skewered Mr Donald Trump.
LOS ANGELES - The White House has lashed out at the creators of American animated sitcom South Park (1997 to present), after the bawdy satire skewered Mr Donald Trump in an episode featuring an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated version of the United States president crawling naked through a desert.
In a no-holds-barred season premiere on July 23, the animated Trump character is also seen begging Satan for sex, only to be rebuffed – in part because his penis is too small.
The White House was not amused.
'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,' spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said on July 24.
'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.'
The adult animated series, which frequently touches on hot-button issues in American life, is now in its 27th season and remains one of the world's most valuable TV shows.
The season premiere begins with the foul-mouthed character Cartman appalled that American broadcaster NPR has been taken off the air by the president, while Randy, a parent, is disturbed by the presence of Jesus in public elementary school.
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Complaints to the fictional White House receive only a threat from Trump to sue the mountain town of South Park for billions of dollars.
Meanwhile, animated Trump is threatening to bomb Canada 'like I did Iraq'.
'I thought you just bombed Iran,' the Canadian prime minister replies.
'Iran, Iraq, what the hell's the difference?' replies Trump.
The episode, which sees the fictional Trump ride rough-shod over many aspects of American life, ends after the town of South Park makes a financial deal with the president that includes an agreement to make public service announcements.
The AI-generated short that follows – ostensibly one of those announcements – shows an overweight Trump staggering through a desert as a narrator casts him as a latter-day Jesus.
The short ends with a naked Trump as the narrator says: 'Trump. His penis is teeny-tiny, but his love for us is large.'
Merger
The episode aired days after creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone reportedly penned a US$1.5 billion (S$1.9 billion) streaming deal with Paramount that gives the company global rights.
The deal comes at a sensitive time for Paramount, which is trying to secure government approval for a multi-billion-dollar merger with entertainment company Skydance.
The CBS parent caused a furore earlier in July when it agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit Mr Trump had brought over an interview which 60 Minutes, the storied current affairs programme, aired with his Democratic challenger Kamala Harris ahead of the presidential election in November 2024.
The payment was criticised by Democrats as little more than a bribe to help smooth the merger, with Paramount initially dismissing Mr Trump's lawsuit as meritless.
Last week, CBS sparked fury after it cancelled The Late Show With Stephen Colbert whose host is a pointed critic of the US president.
The network insisted it was a financial decision, but opponents have painted the move as the latest example of American institutions bowing to Mr Trump. AFP
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