South Park skewers Trump, Paramount hours after creators sign $2.3 billion deal
Ten hours later, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker excoriated Paramount — and aggressively skewered President Donald Trump — in the premiere episode of the Comedy Central show's 27th season.
In the episode, Trump (voiced by Stone) sues the town of South Park for $5 billion after they push back on Jesus Christ's presence in their elementary school. The townspeople are prepared to fight back, but Jesus Christ (also voiced by Stone) urges them to settle.
'You guys saw what happened to CBS? Yeah, well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount,' Jesus Christ says at the episode's climax. 'Do you really want to end up like Colbert?'
Paramount is under intense scrutiny for appearing to kowtow to the Trump administration ahead of a proposed blockbuster merger. Stone and Parker were clearly riffing on their corporate parent's eventful summer.
On July 2, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit from Trump, who alleged that CBS' 60 Minutes had deceptively edited an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris. CBS denied that claim.
On July 17, CBS announced that it planned to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May, calling the move 'purely a financial decision.' But many of Colbert's fans cried foul, arguing that the comedian was being penalised for his years of anti-Trump humor.
Both developments came as Paramount is preparing to be sold to Skydance Media, an entertainment production and finance company headed by David Ellison, the son of Oracle mogul (and Trump ally) Larry Ellison. The corporate tie-up requires federal approval.
The premiere episode, titled Sermon on the 'Mount, took aim at other satirical targets, including the supposed death of 'wokeness,' the rise of ChatGPT and the debate over Christian teachings in public schools. Trump and Paramount were the focal points, however.
In one scene, 60 Minutes reports on the social unrest roiling South Park amid Trump's lawsuit. The fictional hosts of the news show are visibly nervous as they introduce the segment, going out of their way to praise the president as 'a great man.'
'We know he's probably watching,' one of the hosts says.
CBS is not the only network to reach a legal settlement with Trump. ABC agreed to pay $15 million as part of a settlement with Trump a month before he took office, effectively ending a case concerning alleged defamation.
Paramount's settlement with Trump has drawn more attention, though. Colbert, three days before CBS announced the end of his show, blasted the arrangement as a 'big fat bribe.' Jon Stewart, the host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show, also assailed the deal.
Paramount owns CBS, a venerable Hollywood movie studio, a suite of cable brands (including Comedy Central) and the Paramount+ streaming platform.
South Park is widely known for jabbing politicians and social trends across the ideological spectrum. But the latest episode's depiction of Trump arguably went further than usual.
Stone and Parker depict Trump as a petulant child, recycling the animation style they used for Saddam Hussein in the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. They also make profane references to the president's anatomy.
Sermon on the 'Mount closes with an apparently AI-generated video of Trump wandering in a desert and removing his clothes.
Paramount spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the episode.
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9 News
an hour ago
- 9 News
Trump caps his Scottish visit by opening a new golf course and promoting his family brand
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Golf and Scotland are close to US President Donald Trump 's heart, and both were in play on Tuesday (Wednesday morning AEST) as he opened a new eponymous course in the land of his mother's birth, capping a five-day trip that was largely about promoting his family's luxury properties. Dressed for golf and sporting a white cap that said "USA", Trump appeared to be in such a jolly mood that he even lavished rare praise - instead of the usual insults - on the contingent of journalists who had gathered to cover the event. "Today they're not fake news," Trump said. "Today they're wonderful news." US President Donald Trump tees off during the opening ceremony for the Trump International Golf Links golf course, near Aberdeen, Scotland, Tuesday, July 29, 2025 (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) The golf-focused trip gave him a chance to escape Washington's summer heat, but he could not avoid questions about Jeffrey Epstein, the deepening food crisis in Gaza or other issues that trailed him across the Atlantic. The trip itself teed up another example of how the Republican president has used the White House to promote his brand. Trump on Monday expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to get food aid to hungry Palestinians. Asked if he agreed with Netanyahu's assertion on Sunday that "there is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza," Trump said he didn't know but added, "I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly because those children look very hungry." Trump on Monday expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza (Getty) The president also offered a reason why he banished Epstein from his private club in Palm Beach, Florida, years ago, saying it was because the disgraced financier "stole people that worked for me." A top White House aide said last week that Epstein was kicked out for being a "creep". Flanked by sons Eric and Donald Jr., Trump counted "1-2-3" and wielded a pair of golden scissors to cut a red ribbon marking the ceremonial opening of the new Trump course in the village of Balmedie on Scotland's northern coast. "This has been an unbelievable development," Trump said before the ribbon cutting. He thanked Eric, who designed the course, saying his work on the project was "truly a labor of love for him". Eric Trump said the course was his father's "passion project". US President Donald Trump cuts the ribbon, standing between Donald Trump Jr., left, and Eric Trump, during an opening ceremony for the Trump International Golf Links golf course, near Aberdeen, Scotland, Tuesday, July 29, 2025 (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) US President Donald Trump, left, watches fireworks as he attends the opening ceremony for Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen, Scotland Tuesday, July 29, 2025 (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Immediately afterward, Trump, Eric Trump and two professional golfers teed off on the first hole with plans to play a full 18 before the president returns to Washington on Tuesday night. Trump rarely allows the news media to watch his golf game, though video journalists and photographers often find him along the course whenever he plays. Trump's shot had a solid sound and soared straight, high and relatively far. Clearly pleased, he turned to the cameras and did an almost half bow. "He likes the course, ladies and gentlemen" Eric Trump said. 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The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Trump opens golf course in Scotland before heading home
US President Donald Trump has formally opened a new golf course at his sprawling property in Scotland, saying he would play a quick round before heading home to focus on addressing crises in the Middle East and elsewhere. Trump, wrapping up a five-day visit to Scotland, was joined by former football players, golfers and business leaders for a first round of golf at his new second 18-hole course at Trump International near Aberdeen, Scotland. Initially billed as a private visit, the trip quickly morphed into a diplomatic mission, including a trade agreement sealed with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, bilateral meetings with British officials and phone calls aimed at ending a nascent war between Cambodia and Thailand. During a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, Trump raised pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a worsening hunger crisis in the war-torn Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Asked at Tuesday's event what he would say to Netanyahu, Trump said he was trying to get things "straightened out". During his talks with Starmer, Trump said he disagreed with Netanyahu's assessment there was no starvation in Gaza, while giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a much tighter deadline to make progress towards ending the war in Ukraine. Flanked by his two sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, with several grandchildren nearby, Trump raved about the beauty of the new golf course in the dunes of northeastern Scotland, before teeing off. "I look forward to playing it today. We're going to play it very quickly, and then I go back to (Washington) DC and we put out fires all over the world," he said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new course, alluding in part to a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. "We stopped a war - we've stopped about five wars. So that's much more important than playing golf." Several nations have nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a message endorsed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a social media post in recent days. Golfers Paul McGinley and Rich Beem teed off with Trump and his son Eric, and an eclectic mix of notable figures followed. Former Chelsea and AC Milan striker and top Ukraine goal-scorer Andriy Shevchenko, who is now the president of his country's football association, was a guest, as were fellow ex-football players Robbie Fowler, Gianfranco Zola and Jim Leighton. Scottish First Minister John Swinney, who met with Trump earlier on Tuesday, also attended, along with Adrian Mardell, the chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, and Alastair King, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, who represents Britain's finance industry. US President Donald Trump has formally opened a new golf course at his sprawling property in Scotland, saying he would play a quick round before heading home to focus on addressing crises in the Middle East and elsewhere. Trump, wrapping up a five-day visit to Scotland, was joined by former football players, golfers and business leaders for a first round of golf at his new second 18-hole course at Trump International near Aberdeen, Scotland. Initially billed as a private visit, the trip quickly morphed into a diplomatic mission, including a trade agreement sealed with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, bilateral meetings with British officials and phone calls aimed at ending a nascent war between Cambodia and Thailand. During a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, Trump raised pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a worsening hunger crisis in the war-torn Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Asked at Tuesday's event what he would say to Netanyahu, Trump said he was trying to get things "straightened out". During his talks with Starmer, Trump said he disagreed with Netanyahu's assessment there was no starvation in Gaza, while giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a much tighter deadline to make progress towards ending the war in Ukraine. Flanked by his two sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, with several grandchildren nearby, Trump raved about the beauty of the new golf course in the dunes of northeastern Scotland, before teeing off. "I look forward to playing it today. We're going to play it very quickly, and then I go back to (Washington) DC and we put out fires all over the world," he said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new course, alluding in part to a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. "We stopped a war - we've stopped about five wars. So that's much more important than playing golf." Several nations have nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a message endorsed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a social media post in recent days. Golfers Paul McGinley and Rich Beem teed off with Trump and his son Eric, and an eclectic mix of notable figures followed. Former Chelsea and AC Milan striker and top Ukraine goal-scorer Andriy Shevchenko, who is now the president of his country's football association, was a guest, as were fellow ex-football players Robbie Fowler, Gianfranco Zola and Jim Leighton. Scottish First Minister John Swinney, who met with Trump earlier on Tuesday, also attended, along with Adrian Mardell, the chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, and Alastair King, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, who represents Britain's finance industry. US President Donald Trump has formally opened a new golf course at his sprawling property in Scotland, saying he would play a quick round before heading home to focus on addressing crises in the Middle East and elsewhere. Trump, wrapping up a five-day visit to Scotland, was joined by former football players, golfers and business leaders for a first round of golf at his new second 18-hole course at Trump International near Aberdeen, Scotland. Initially billed as a private visit, the trip quickly morphed into a diplomatic mission, including a trade agreement sealed with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, bilateral meetings with British officials and phone calls aimed at ending a nascent war between Cambodia and Thailand. During a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, Trump raised pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a worsening hunger crisis in the war-torn Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Asked at Tuesday's event what he would say to Netanyahu, Trump said he was trying to get things "straightened out". During his talks with Starmer, Trump said he disagreed with Netanyahu's assessment there was no starvation in Gaza, while giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a much tighter deadline to make progress towards ending the war in Ukraine. Flanked by his two sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, with several grandchildren nearby, Trump raved about the beauty of the new golf course in the dunes of northeastern Scotland, before teeing off. "I look forward to playing it today. We're going to play it very quickly, and then I go back to (Washington) DC and we put out fires all over the world," he said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new course, alluding in part to a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. "We stopped a war - we've stopped about five wars. So that's much more important than playing golf." Several nations have nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a message endorsed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a social media post in recent days. Golfers Paul McGinley and Rich Beem teed off with Trump and his son Eric, and an eclectic mix of notable figures followed. Former Chelsea and AC Milan striker and top Ukraine goal-scorer Andriy Shevchenko, who is now the president of his country's football association, was a guest, as were fellow ex-football players Robbie Fowler, Gianfranco Zola and Jim Leighton. Scottish First Minister John Swinney, who met with Trump earlier on Tuesday, also attended, along with Adrian Mardell, the chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, and Alastair King, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, who represents Britain's finance industry. US President Donald Trump has formally opened a new golf course at his sprawling property in Scotland, saying he would play a quick round before heading home to focus on addressing crises in the Middle East and elsewhere. Trump, wrapping up a five-day visit to Scotland, was joined by former football players, golfers and business leaders for a first round of golf at his new second 18-hole course at Trump International near Aberdeen, Scotland. Initially billed as a private visit, the trip quickly morphed into a diplomatic mission, including a trade agreement sealed with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, bilateral meetings with British officials and phone calls aimed at ending a nascent war between Cambodia and Thailand. During a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday, Trump raised pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a worsening hunger crisis in the war-torn Palestinian enclave of Gaza. Asked at Tuesday's event what he would say to Netanyahu, Trump said he was trying to get things "straightened out". During his talks with Starmer, Trump said he disagreed with Netanyahu's assessment there was no starvation in Gaza, while giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a much tighter deadline to make progress towards ending the war in Ukraine. Flanked by his two sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, with several grandchildren nearby, Trump raved about the beauty of the new golf course in the dunes of northeastern Scotland, before teeing off. "I look forward to playing it today. We're going to play it very quickly, and then I go back to (Washington) DC and we put out fires all over the world," he said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new course, alluding in part to a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. "We stopped a war - we've stopped about five wars. So that's much more important than playing golf." Several nations have nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, a message endorsed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt in a social media post in recent days. Golfers Paul McGinley and Rich Beem teed off with Trump and his son Eric, and an eclectic mix of notable figures followed. Former Chelsea and AC Milan striker and top Ukraine goal-scorer Andriy Shevchenko, who is now the president of his country's football association, was a guest, as were fellow ex-football players Robbie Fowler, Gianfranco Zola and Jim Leighton. Scottish First Minister John Swinney, who met with Trump earlier on Tuesday, also attended, along with Adrian Mardell, the chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, and Alastair King, the Lord Mayor of the City of London, who represents Britain's finance industry.
The Advertiser
3 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Trump deciding trade deals by August 1: Lutnick
US President Donald Trump will make his trade deal decisions this week even as separate negotiations with China and the European Union continue, US Commerce chief Howard Lutnick says ahead of Trump's self-imposed August 1 deadline. US and EU officials were still discussing steel and aluminium tariffs as well as digital services regulations following their framework announced on Sunday, Lutnick told CNBC in an interview, adding that talks with China were also "their own thing". "But for the rest of the world, we're going to have things done by Friday," he said in the interview. Asked about remaining uncertainties surrounding the US-EU agreement, Lutnick said Trump was working "to get things done now". He said pharmaceuticals were a key part of the EU deal so that medicines made in EU member countries - home to several major drug makers - would have their products included in the 15 per cent tariff. "It was important for them to have pharmaceuticals be part of the deal at 15 per cent because President Trump is going to come out in the next two weeks with his pharmaceutical policy, and it is going to be higher," he said. South Africa's trade ministry said on Tuesday that it still wanted to negotiate a trade deal with the United States, before a 30 per cent tariff on its exports to the US is due to kick in on Friday. South Africa's government has been tight-lipped about its negotiations with the US administration ahead of the August 1 deadline, which comes as the two countries' relationship has deteriorated over South Africa's domestic race policy and its genocide case against Israel, which Israel denies. In a statement, the trade ministry said it was still waiting for "substantive feedback from our US counterparts on the final status on our framework deal". US President Donald Trump will make his trade deal decisions this week even as separate negotiations with China and the European Union continue, US Commerce chief Howard Lutnick says ahead of Trump's self-imposed August 1 deadline. US and EU officials were still discussing steel and aluminium tariffs as well as digital services regulations following their framework announced on Sunday, Lutnick told CNBC in an interview, adding that talks with China were also "their own thing". "But for the rest of the world, we're going to have things done by Friday," he said in the interview. Asked about remaining uncertainties surrounding the US-EU agreement, Lutnick said Trump was working "to get things done now". He said pharmaceuticals were a key part of the EU deal so that medicines made in EU member countries - home to several major drug makers - would have their products included in the 15 per cent tariff. "It was important for them to have pharmaceuticals be part of the deal at 15 per cent because President Trump is going to come out in the next two weeks with his pharmaceutical policy, and it is going to be higher," he said. South Africa's trade ministry said on Tuesday that it still wanted to negotiate a trade deal with the United States, before a 30 per cent tariff on its exports to the US is due to kick in on Friday. South Africa's government has been tight-lipped about its negotiations with the US administration ahead of the August 1 deadline, which comes as the two countries' relationship has deteriorated over South Africa's domestic race policy and its genocide case against Israel, which Israel denies. In a statement, the trade ministry said it was still waiting for "substantive feedback from our US counterparts on the final status on our framework deal". US President Donald Trump will make his trade deal decisions this week even as separate negotiations with China and the European Union continue, US Commerce chief Howard Lutnick says ahead of Trump's self-imposed August 1 deadline. US and EU officials were still discussing steel and aluminium tariffs as well as digital services regulations following their framework announced on Sunday, Lutnick told CNBC in an interview, adding that talks with China were also "their own thing". "But for the rest of the world, we're going to have things done by Friday," he said in the interview. Asked about remaining uncertainties surrounding the US-EU agreement, Lutnick said Trump was working "to get things done now". He said pharmaceuticals were a key part of the EU deal so that medicines made in EU member countries - home to several major drug makers - would have their products included in the 15 per cent tariff. "It was important for them to have pharmaceuticals be part of the deal at 15 per cent because President Trump is going to come out in the next two weeks with his pharmaceutical policy, and it is going to be higher," he said. South Africa's trade ministry said on Tuesday that it still wanted to negotiate a trade deal with the United States, before a 30 per cent tariff on its exports to the US is due to kick in on Friday. South Africa's government has been tight-lipped about its negotiations with the US administration ahead of the August 1 deadline, which comes as the two countries' relationship has deteriorated over South Africa's domestic race policy and its genocide case against Israel, which Israel denies. In a statement, the trade ministry said it was still waiting for "substantive feedback from our US counterparts on the final status on our framework deal". US President Donald Trump will make his trade deal decisions this week even as separate negotiations with China and the European Union continue, US Commerce chief Howard Lutnick says ahead of Trump's self-imposed August 1 deadline. US and EU officials were still discussing steel and aluminium tariffs as well as digital services regulations following their framework announced on Sunday, Lutnick told CNBC in an interview, adding that talks with China were also "their own thing". "But for the rest of the world, we're going to have things done by Friday," he said in the interview. Asked about remaining uncertainties surrounding the US-EU agreement, Lutnick said Trump was working "to get things done now". He said pharmaceuticals were a key part of the EU deal so that medicines made in EU member countries - home to several major drug makers - would have their products included in the 15 per cent tariff. "It was important for them to have pharmaceuticals be part of the deal at 15 per cent because President Trump is going to come out in the next two weeks with his pharmaceutical policy, and it is going to be higher," he said. South Africa's trade ministry said on Tuesday that it still wanted to negotiate a trade deal with the United States, before a 30 per cent tariff on its exports to the US is due to kick in on Friday. South Africa's government has been tight-lipped about its negotiations with the US administration ahead of the August 1 deadline, which comes as the two countries' relationship has deteriorated over South Africa's domestic race policy and its genocide case against Israel, which Israel denies. In a statement, the trade ministry said it was still waiting for "substantive feedback from our US counterparts on the final status on our framework deal".
