South Park co-creator Trey Parker had the briefest of responses on Friday to anger from the White House over the season premiere of the animated institution, which showed a naked President Donald Trump in bed with Satan.
“We’re terribly sorry,” Parker said, followed by a long, deadpan-comic stare.
Parker was asked for his reaction to the fracas as he sat on the stage at San Diego’s Comic-Con International at the beginning of a Comedy Central animation panel that also included his South Park partner Matt Stone, Beavis and Butt-Head creator Mike Judge, and actor Andy Samberg, who co-created the animated Digman!
Earlier in the day, the White House issued a statement on the 27th season premiere, which aired on Wednesday night.
“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,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in the statement. “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.”
Later in the panel, Parker said they did get a note from their producers on Wednesday night’s episode.
“They said, ‘OK, but we’re gonna blur the penis’, and I said, ‘No you’re not gonna blur the penis’,” Parker said.
The premiere also took aim at Paramount and its US$16 million (NZ$26 billion) recent settlement with Trump just hours after Parker and Stone signed a five-year deal with the company for 50 new episodes and streaming rights to previous seasons. The Los Angeles Times and other outlets report the deal was worth US$1.5 billion (NZ$2.4 billion).
In the episode, Trump sues the town of South Park when its residents challenge the presence of Jesus Christ – the actual person – in its elementary school.
Jesus tells them they ought to settle.
“You guys saw what happened to CBS? Yeah, well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount,” Jesus says. “Do you really want to end up like Colbert?”
CBS and parent Paramount Global cancelled Stephen Colbert’s Late Show last week, days after Colbert sharply criticised Paramount’s settlement of Trump’s lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview.
CBS and Paramount executives said it was a financial decision to axe The Late Show.
The efficiency of South Park production and the brinksmanship of its creators allow it to stay incredibly current for an animated series.
“I don’t know what next week’s episode is going to be,” Parker said at Comic-Con. “Even just three days ago, we were like, ‘I don’t know if people are going to like this’.”
