Trey Parker, a co-creator of South Park, apologized humorously to President Donald Trump for making fun of him in the premiere of the show's 27th season.
The Wednesday broadcast featured a number of gags about Trump, including one that showed him in bed with Satan while naked.
After its broadcast, the White House characterised South Park as a “fourth-rate” program that was “hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.”
“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,” stated White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers. “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.”
Here's what Trey Parker said
When asked about the response at a panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Parker made a mock-serious face, stating, “We're terribly sorry.”
{{/usCountry}}When asked about the response at a panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Parker made a mock-serious face, stating, “We're terribly sorry.”
{{/usCountry}}Parker was participating in a panel with actor Andy Samberg, who co-developed the animated series Digman, co-creator Matt Stone, and Mike Judge, who created Beavis and Butthead!
Parker further mentioned in the panel that their producers sent them a note regarding the episode.
“They said, ‘OK, but we’re gonna blur the pe***,’ and I said, ‘No you’re not gonna blur the penis,’” he stated.
“If we put eyes on the pen**, we won’t blur it,” Stone continued, referring to the team’s decision to make the penis a character. " That was a whole conversation with grown-up people for four fu***** days.”
The premiere attacked Paramount for its $16 million settlement with Trump, which came hours after Parker and Stone agreed to a five-year, $1.5 billion contract with the firm for 50 new episodes and the streaming rights to earlier seasons.
In the episode, Trump files a lawsuit against the town of South Park when its citizens contest the existence of Jesus Christ in its elementary school.
Jesus advises them to make a settlement. “You guys saw what happened to CBS? Yeah, well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount,” Jesus states. “Do you really want to end up like Colbert?”
CBS and parent company Paramount Global canceled Stephen Colbert's Late Show last week after he harshly criticized Paramount's settlement of Trump's lawsuit over a 60-minute interview. The Late Show's cancellation was a strictly financial decision, according to executives at CBS and Paramount.