Today, Explained – "South Park is not your friend"

Date: August 20, 2025
Podcast: Today, Explained (Vox)
Host(s): Sean Rameswaram, Noel King
Guests: Brian Stelter (Chief Media Analyst, CNN), Nicholas Quah (Culture Writer, Vulture)
Producer: Gabrielle Burbay

Episode Overview

This episode of Today, Explained examines the resurgence of South Park in the cultural conversation following its sharply satirical new season, which goes directly after President Trump, Kristi Noem, and even its own corporate overlords. The discussion centers on South Park's ideological consistency, the implications for its massive business partnership with Paramount, and the dangers of misreading the show's alliances. The episode argues that while South Park might currently thrill Trump critics, it remains an "equal opportunity offender"—as unpredictable and unsparing as ever, not anyone’s “friend.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. South Park’s Latest Season: Political Satire Hits Hard

• The new season takes unprecedented direct aim at President Trump, his administration, and figures like Kristi Noem.
  • Features Trump in outrageous scenarios, e.g., in bed with Satan (04:13), comment on his anatomy.
  • Kristi Noem is the punchline of jokes surrounding scandals—a dog-shooting incident, overuse of facial fillers, and obsession with photo ops (05:00-06:12).
• Satire is “more direct and vicious than ever before,” as Brian Stelter notes, compared to earlier allegories like Mr. Garrison-as-Trump (06:30-07:14).

Notable Quote:

Brian Stelter (02:40): "The creators of South Park have always hated bullies, and they seem to believe Trump is the biggest bully of them all."

2. Equal-Opportunity Offending: No Ideological Safe Havens

• The show’s new biting attacks on Trump attract “Normie Libs,” but Nicholas Quah and Gabrielle Burbay warn its satire spares no one.
  • South Park previously mocked NPR (“ripping on NPR” at 18:00), Occupy Wall Street (19:55), “woke” positions, and various religions (19:39-19:44).
• There is a cyclical pattern: when South Park targets someone’s “side,” fans cheer; when it targets them, they are outraged.
• The podcast cites an ethos of relentless independence:
  • Quote: Paraphrasing Trey Parker and Matt Stone: “We're not on anybody's fucking side.” (20:54)

Notable Quote:

Gabrielle Burbay (21:23): "South Park, essentially, they are somewhat libertarian in flavor... really embrace the notion of free speech... and that has not been the dominant political frame... on the left... so there’s a very uneasy tension."

3. Massive Business Stakes: Profits vs. Politics

• Despite skewering the Trump administration during a sensitive media merger, South Park is courted and protected by Paramount/Skydance.
  • Paramount signed a five-year, billion-dollar deal for South Park exclusivity (09:00-10:06).
  • Contrast drawn with Stephen Colbert: canceled (ostensibly for financial reasons) despite being a Trump critic, while South Park continues and thrives because it’s hugely profitable (11:26-13:21).
  • The show is breaking streaming and cable ratings records this season, hitting 5-7 million viewers for new episodes (12:44).
• Paramount CEO David Ellison calls South Park and its creators “equal opportunity offenders” and stressed their value as unique talents (08:32-09:00).

Notable Quote:

Brian Stelter (11:26): "Right now, this might be a case of business actually trumping politics... For the future of this newly combined company, big, loud franchises like South Park are key."

4. Audience Reception: Unexpected Alliances and Misreadings

• The show’s current anti-Trump focus draws in “liberal” viewers who typically might find its style or content objectionable.
  • This moment is described as a “coalition of aesthetics” rather than political alignment.
  • Gabrielle Burbay notes many fans now celebrating the show once recoiled at its previous attacks on left-liberal shibboleths.
• The episode title emerges here: “South Park is not your friend”—it is not a reliable ally for any faction.
  • Reminder of the danger in adopting South Park as a hero or standard-bearer for a cause (20:54-22:16).

Notable Quote:

Nicholas Quah (20:54): "South Park is not your friend, whoever you may be. Do you think people are forgetting that right now?"

5. Creative Consistency & Evolution

• Parker and Stone shun all labels; their only reliable principle is the rejection of sacred cows (22:33-23:26).
  • Example: "ManBearPig"—initially mocked Al Gore’s climate warnings (23:26), later reversed that stance with an episode admitting the threat was real (24:18), reflecting intellectual flexibility but not partisanship.
• This independence has protected them from institutional or advertiser pressure.
  • South Park would “walk away” rather than submit to censorship, making them rare in corporate media today (24:28-25:53).

Notable Quote:

Gabrielle Burbay (24:28): "That's something that's kind of rare, I think, in the current political climate... avatars of free speech... basically fold their cards... These are two guys. This is a team. This is a show that doesn't seem to give a damn about any of that."

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Trump in bed with Satan (04:13-04:43):

  Nicholas Quah: "Trump disrobes before you even see who he's about to get into bed with and has, I guess, like, a micro penis."
  —Emphasizes the show's willingness to go further than other satires.

• On being equal-opportunity offenders (08:32-09:00):

  Brian Stelter: "[David Ellison] said... they are equal opportunity offenders and they always have been."

• On the show's business power (11:26):

  "Profits actually trumping politics for Paramount... big, loud franchises like south park are key."

• On misunderstood alliances (20:54, 21:23):

  Nicholas Quah: "South Park is not your friend, whoever you may be." Gabrielle Burbay: "There's a tendency... to find heroes wherever they can... but South Park, essentially... really embrace the notion of free speech... there's a very uneasy tension..."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• South Park’s direct attack on Trump, Noem, and their extremity: 02:37–07:14
• Previous, less direct parodies of Trump: 06:35–07:14
• Attacks on Paramount and implications for business: 07:21–13:21
• Discussion of South Park’s ratings and streaming dominance: 11:26–13:21
• How liberal audiences are embracing the current season: 16:37–18:00
• South Park’s history as an equal-opportunity offender: 18:00–20:54
• The ideological position and resistance to being “saviors”: 20:54–24:28
• Evolution on issues (ManBearPig/climate change): 23:26–24:28

Final Takeaway

South Park is experiencing a cultural resurgence due to its ruthless satire in the new season, targeting President Trump, Kristi Noem, and its own corporate owners—even as those very owners invest heavily in its future. While it’s being momentarily embraced by those who disapprove of Trump, the podcast cautions listeners not to mistake South Park for a reliable ideological ally. The show’s consistent iconoclasm and commercial heft have made it untouchable—“not your friend," and possibly nobody’s—remaining a rare voice of unpredictable, profit-driven, equal-opportunity offensiveness in the current media landscape.