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New York Times
26 minutes ago
- New York Times
Paramount Settled With Trump. Its Shows Are Skewering Him.
The creators of 'South Park' aren't holding back. Nor are Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart. Just a few weeks after Paramount settled a lawsuit with President Trump, and less than a week after the company made the abrupt decision to cancel 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,' some of the company's marquee names have been using their Paramount platforms to attack their corporate bosses — as well as the president. In the season premiere of the animated Comedy Central franchise 'South Park' on Wednesday night, a character portraying Jesus Christ visited the show's elementary school before revealing why he was really there: Mr. Trump had sent him 'because it was part of a lawsuit and the agreement with Paramount.' 'You guys saw what happened to CBS?' the character said. 'Well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount! You really want to end up like Colbert? You guys got to stop being stupid. Just shut up, or we're going to get canceled, you idiots!' The episode also featured various terrified correspondents at CBS's '60 Minutes,' whose interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris was at the center of Mr. Trump's suit. The correspondents on 'South Park' praised Mr. Trump. Making the episode more remarkable was that it aired just hours after Paramount and Comedy Central announced a new deal with Park County, the production studio run by the creators of 'South Park,' Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The deal will pay Park County at least $1.25 billion over five years, two people with knowledge of the arrangement said. Wednesday's 22-minute 'South Park' episode also included withering criticisms of the president. In one scene, Mr. Trump becomes enraged with a painter after checking on the progress of a nude portrait of himself. Later, he is shown in bed with Satan discussing Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced former financier. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.


CNN
26 minutes ago
- CNN
Artist Amy Sherald cancels major Smithsonian exhibition, citing censorship
The artist Amy Sherald has canceled a major exhibition of her work at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, citing censorship over one of her paintings depicting the Statue of Liberty modeled after a transgender artist. Sherald, who reached national fame for her official portrait of Michelle Obama in 2018, has since become one of the most prominent living American painters for her vibrant portraits of Black life, portrayed in grisaille, or gray tones, against expanses of blue. Her mid-career survey 'American Sublime,' which was set to go on view at the National Portrait Gallery in September, has traveled around the country, debuting at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art before stopping at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, where it is currently on view. At the Whitney, the artist Arewà Basit, after whom the painting 'Trans Forming Liberty' is modeled, appeared at the opening party to take pictures with Sherald in front of the monumental artwork. In a statement, Sherald said she was informed by the National Portrait Gallery that the museum that 'concerns had been raised internally' about the painting. 'These concerns led to discussions about removing the work from the exhibition,' she continued. 'While no single person is to blame, it is clear that institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives played a role.' A spokesperson from the Smithsonian said the museum had proposed including a video that would contextualize the painting, before Sherald ultimately decided to withdraw the show entirely. CNN reached out to a representative for Sherald's gallery, Hauser & Wirth, for her comment on the proposed video. According to a New York Times report, which the gallery representative said was accurate, the artist said the video would replace the painting and included anti-trans views. 'The video would have opened up for debate the value of trans visibility and I was opposed to that being a part of the 'American Sublime' narrative,' she told the newspaper. Sherald's cancellation is the latest crisis at the Smithsonian Institution as the museums respond to pressure and interference from President Trump in his second term. The organization, established by an act of Congress in 1846, has grappled with new ideological directives from the Trump administration, which has systematically rolled back trans rights over the past few months as it also takes action to suppress or reverse race and gender inclusivity in schools, museums and the military. In March, President Trump signed an executive order demanding changes to the content of the Smithsonian's exhibitions and events, with the order stating that the institution has 'promoted narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.' In the order, Trump also gave Vice President JD Vance the power to stop government funding of 'exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.' The National Portrait Gallery lost its director, Kim Sajet, in June, when she resigned weeks after Trump's declaration that he was firing her, despite the president's apparent lack of legal authority to control the museum's leadership moves. Sherald's blockbuster show was scheduled to run at the National Portrait Gallery through February 2026, bringing together her portraits of the former First Lady Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor, alongside her reimagined same-sex take on photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt's famous VJ-Day Kiss, as part of some 50 scenes of American identity. On 'Trans Forming Liberty,' Sherald said in her statement: 'This painting exists to hold space for someone whose humanity has been politicized and disregarded. I cannot in good conscience comply with a culture of censorship, especially when it targets vulnerable communities.' 'At a time when transgender people are being legislated against, silenced and endangered across our nation,' she added, 'silence is not an option.'

Politico
26 minutes ago
- Politico
MAGA in mourning after death of Hulk Hogan
The president praised Hogan's appearance last year at the Republican National Convention. 'He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive.' Hogan, whose real name was Terry Gene Bollea, was a WWE megastar who helped take professional wrestling into the mainstream. He lost his contract with WWE after he reportedly used a racial slur in an unauthorized videotape. He subsequently apologized. The wrestler took last year's RNC in Milwaukee by storm, ripping off both his blazer and shirt to reveal a red Trump-Vance tank top underneath and shouting out the virtues of 'Trumpmania' to raucous applause from the crowd. Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that in a previous meeting, he'd promised Hogan that the pair would connect over beers whenever their paths next crossed. 'The next time will have to be on the other side, my friend!' he said. 'Rest in peace.' Tributes poured in from all over Washington. White House border czar Tom Homan shared that he once had a 200-pound mastiff named Hulk Homan and House Speaker Mike Johnson shared condolences on X. 'We all have fond memories of @HulkHogan,' he wrote. 'From my childhood in the '80s, to campaigning with him last year, I always saw him as a giant in stature and in life. May he rest in peace.' Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Hogan, who lived in the state for many years, had been 'our superhero' when he was growing up. 'We were with him just a couple months ago, my kids got to meet him and everything,' DeSantis said. 'So, I was really sad to see that, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and people throughout this region of Florida, because I know so many people cared about him.' Andrew Atterbury contributed to this report.