'South Park' creators rip Skydance-Paramount merger as a 's---show', blame deal for delaying new season
In a statement shared to X on Tuesday, show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone expressed frustration over their show's premiere getting delayed another two weeks and blamed the potential upcoming merger between Paramount Global and Skydance as the reason for it.
"This merger is a s---show and it's f---ing up South Park," the creators declared. "We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow."
The official "South Park" X account confirmed news of the delay early Tuesday morning, posting, "South Park's 27th season premiere has moved to Wednesday, July 23rd at 10:00pm ET/PT on Comedy Central." Season 27 marks the return of the show after a two-year hiatus.
Comedy Central has not yet given a reason for the delay.
The merger that Stone and Parker pointed to is set to happen by July 6, Deadline.com reported Tuesday, with Skydance to acquire control of Paramount Global and merge both companies.
With the merger, Skydance Media boss Jeff Shell is set to become the boss of the soon-to-be-joined companies. Shell has been accused by the "South Park" creators of meddling in their current contract negotiations with Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), The Hollywood Reporter (THR) said.
Streaming rights for "South Park" are believed to be non-exclusive and have been shopped around to other platforms, like Netflix or Warner Bros. Discovery's HBO Max, Deadline noted.
Parker and Stone's entertainment company, Park County, threatened legal action against Shell's companies, Redbird and Skydance, accusing them of directing Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery to alter terms of their offers for streaming deals with "South Park" that would benefit Paramount following the merger.
According to them, Shell has sought to exert pressure on these platforms and their prospective deals with the show to ensure that Paramount+ gets to stream the show's new season exclusively for a certain time, at the expense of Park County.
Parker and Stone accused Shell of "urging WBD to give Paramount+ an exclusive 12-month window for new episodes of the show and to shorten the term of the deal from 10 to five years, which could worsen the studio's bid for the series," THR reported, describing a letter sent on behalf of Park County.
"We hereby demand that you, Redbird, and Skydance immediately cease your interference," the letter states. "If these activities continue, we will have no choice but to act to both protect our rights and discharge any obligations we may have to the public."
Paramount and the "South Park" creators did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Julian McMahon's Death Has Fans Looking Back on His Overlooked Marriage to a 'Baywatch' Icon
Julian McMahon's death on July 2 at the age of 56 after a battle with cancer rocked Hollywood, but his decision to keep his health journey private only reminded fans how his personal life was often kept off the paparazzi's radar. On July 5, former Baywatch star Brooke Burns posted an Instagram tribute to the Charmed actor — and that's when many people learned the two of them were married many years ago. McMahon and Burns began dating in 1998 while she starred on the iconic lifeguarding show as Jessie Owens, and the Australian actor played Detective John Grant on Profiler. More from SheKnows Sarah Michelle Gellar Just Made the Little Black Swimsuit Look Positively Magical The duo married in 1999 and welcomed their only daughter, Madison, in 2000. The marriage turned out to be short-lived as they divorced in 2001 but they remained amicable co-parents over the years and were often spotted on family outings. Burns went on to marry The Accountant director Gavin O'Connor in 2013, while McMahon married his third wife (his first wife was Dannii Minogue), Kelly Paniagua, in 2014. Despite their split over two decades ago, Burns made sure to honor her ex-husband with a bittersweet tribute. The 47-year-old game show host posted a loving snapshot of Madison with McMahon, along with a broken-heart emoji in the caption. 'Rest in Peace,' she added in text on the photo. The father-daughter duo had their heads gently next to each other while they smiled brightly at the camera. Madison, who is also a yoga teacher, had a now-heartbreaking exchange with her dad on Instagram after she taught her first class. 'Taught my first yoga class today at @ahanayoga!! I guess dreams do come true,' she wrote in the caption of the video on March 8. 'Your [sic] awesome,' wrote her proud dad. 'No, YOU'RE awesome,' Madison cutely chimed back with the grammatical correction in the comments. McMahon's wife was the one who shared the official family statement about his death with Deadline on July 4. 'Julian loved life. He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his work, and he loved his fans,' the statement read. 'His deepest wish was to bring joy into as many lives as possible. We ask for support during this time to allow our family to grieve in privacy. And we wish for all of those to whom Julian brought joy to continue to find joy in life. We are grateful for the memories.' Before you go, click to see which celebrity kids lost their parents too soon. Best of SheKnows Amber Heard's Entire Dating History: Johnny Depp, Elon Musk, & More 11 of Prince William & Kate Middleton's Biggest Relationship Controversies 13 Celebrities Who Secretly Welcomed Children During Affairs
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jennifer Lopez Sings About "Wreckage" of Ben Affleck Divorce at a Secret Fan Event
Jennifer Lopez took a look back at the painful aftermath of her divorce from Ben Affleck during a secret fan event in Los Angeles on July 2. The multi-hyphenate debuted an emotional ballad called "Wreckage of You" while opening up about her current mindset during the exclusive listening party. Lopez finalized her divorce from Affleck in that Jennifer Lopez is on the other side of her 'incredibly difficult' split from ex-husband Ben Affleck, she's pouring her heartbreak into her music. The multi-hyphenate—who filed for divorce from Affleck on what would have been their second wedding anniversary, August 20—took a look back at the emotional aftermath and the 'wreckage' of her past relationship while performing at a secret fan event in Los Angeles. During a Wednesday, July 2 listening party, Lopez performed six songs including a new ballad titled 'Wreckage of You,' which was inspired by the post-divorce healing process, according to People. The 'Waiting for Tonight' singer has been booked and busy since finalizing her split from Affleck in January, including starring in several films, hosting the 2025 American Music Awards, and getting back into music. In addition to starting a Las Vegas residency in December, the star will be kicking off her Up All Night tour in Spain starting on July 8—and it appears she has some new musical material ready for fans. In addition to performing upbeat pop songs 'Up All Night,' 'Regular,' 'Free,' 'Save Me Tonight,' and 'Birthday,' Lopez got raw about her emotions following her breakup in 'Wreckage of You.' Attendee and major fan Edgardo Luis Rivera told Us Weekly that Lopez co-wrote and recorded the track just two weeks ago, and that the emotional track was as much about healing as coming out of the tough time stronger than ever. Lopez hinted at her current mindset as she told the crowd that she 'kept thinking of the word 'wreck' because it means destruction, but she wasn't destroyed. In fact, the lyrics of the song are, 'I'm stronger after the wreckage of you,'' per Rivera. Lopez previously opened up about the painful aftermath of her second breakup with Affleck, admitting it 'almost did take [her] out for good' in a candid interview with Nikki Glaser for Interview magazine. "I was thinking about this time in my life, and I'm like, 'That's not what I thought it was going to turn out like,'" Lopez told Glaser about her journey to accepting the split. "And then I thought, 'No, this is exactly where I needed to be, to lead me to where I want to go.'" "That doesn't mean it didn't almost take me out for good. It almost did,' she continued. 'But now, on the other side of it, I think to myself, 'F**k, that is exactly what I needed. Thank you, God. I'm sorry it took me so long. I'm sorry that you had to do this to me so many times. I should have learned it two or three times ago. I get it. You had to hit me really hard over the head with a fucking sledgehammer. You dropped the house on me. Don't have to do it again.'" Read the original article on InStyle
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Former Boston Bruins tough guy Lyndon Byers dies at 61
Former Boston Bruins tough guy Lyndon Byers has died at 61, the team announced on July 5. The Bruins said he died on July 4, though they didn't list a cause of death. "Lyndon was a fan favorite across his nine seasons in the Black & Gold thanks to his rugged, rough-and-tumble style," the team said in a statement. Advertisement Byers played for the Bruins from 1983-1992, racking up 959 penalty minutes, 11th in team history. He was part of the Bruins teams that went to the Stanley Cup Final in 1988 and 1990, playing a total of 28 games in those postseasons. Byers' best season was in 1987-88, when he had 10 goals, 24 points and 236 penalty minutes. He had another 62 penalty minutes in the playoffs. According to Byers had 92 career fights, including a total of 30 in the 1987-88 regular season and playoffs. He also played for the San Jose Sharks in 1992-93 before finishing his professional hockey career with two seasons in the International Hockey League. He had 28 goals, 71 points and 1,081 penalty minutes in 279 NHL games. Advertisement After retiring, Byers spent about 25 years as a radio host for Boston's WAAF. He also appeared in four episodes of the television show "Rescue Me" and had small roles in "Shallow Hal," "Stuck on You" and a few other movies. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lyndon Byers, former Bruins tough guy, dies at 61
