In a move reminiscent of Donald Trump, the popular animated satire “South Park” has decided to change its name for its upcoming 29th season and will now be known as “South America.” The announcement is a satirical jab at the U.S. president’s penchant for renaming geographical landmarks to include “America.” The show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, stated that they were inspired by the actions of Apple and Google in changing their names. They also expressed gratitude to their parent company, Paramount, in a slightly pointed manner.
This decision comes amidst ongoing controversies involving Paramount Skydance, the show’s parent company, which is facing legal issues related to alleged dealings with Trump over the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
The trend of giving American makeovers to geographic features began during Trump’s second term, with attempts to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” and more recently directing the renaming of Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” While there has been resistance to these changes, tech giants like Apple and Google have been criticized for adopting them on their maps.
The announcement of the name change to “South America” follows Trump’s suggestion on social media to rename New Mexico to “New America.” Whether this change is a temporary gag or a running theme for the new season is yet to be seen. However, it aligns well with the show’s tradition of mocking Trump and his administration, which has drawn significant criticism from supporters of the former president.
“South Park,” known for its Emmy-winning irreverent humor since its debut in 1997, has continued to push boundaries with its satirical content, especially targeting Trump. The show’s recent Emmy win was celebrated with a post on Instagram taking another dig at Trump’s lack of Emmy success for “The Apprentice.” The new season, now titled “South America,” is set to premiere on Comedy Central on September 16, with its Canadian debut on Paramount+ the following day.