“South Park” returned to Comedy Central Wednesday night with a new theme song, a new title sequence and, for the time being, a new name — capping weeks of buildup with a crude, animated jab at President Trump.
The Season 29 premiere, titled “South American Biker Gangs,” opened under the show’s rebranded title, “South America.” Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced the switch Sept. 8, framing it as a parody of Mr. Trump’s efforts to rename U.S. geographic landmarks, including the Gulf of Mexico, which he redesignated the Gulf of America by executive order last year, and Lake Ontario, which he renamed “Lake America” by executive order in August amid a trade dispute with Canada.
“Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of ’South Park’ to ’South America,’” the pair said in a statement at the time, referring to the tech companies that updated their map applications to reflect the Gulf of Mexico’s new name. “We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation.”
The revamped opening sequence that debuted with Wednesday’s episode features a brief, unclothed animated depiction of the president rubbing an American flag between his legs, set to a reworked theme song declaring, “I’m goin’ down to South America, have myself a time!”
Unlike the two previous seasons, which built extended storylines around a White House arc, the Season 29 premiere keeps its plot confined to the fictional Colorado town and does not otherwise feature Mr. Trump, focusing instead on a dispute between children and parents over electric bikes.
It is the latest in a string of jabs the animated satire has aimed at the president since Parker and Stone signed a $1.5 billion streaming deal with Paramount last year. A previous season premiere depicted an animated Mr. Trump disrobing in the White House and climbing into bed with Satan, then closed with a separate segment — an AI-generated deepfake public-service announcement — showing a naked Trump wandering through a desert. The episode drew a sharp rebuke from the Trump administration.
“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 at the time, adding that “no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”
“South Park” also took a swipe at the president earlier this month after winning the Creative Arts Emmy for outstanding animated program, with the show’s social media accounts posting an image of an animated Trump, pants around his ankles, clutching the trophy — a reference to the president’s past complaints that “The Apprentice” never won an Emmy.
Season 29 is a six-episode run airing every two weeks on Comedy Central at 10 p.m. ET, with new episodes scheduled through Nov. 25, and streaming the following day on Paramount+.
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