The creators of “South Park” say they are not feeling any pressure from Paramount, the massive media conglomerate that owns Comedy Central, to avoid making fun of or criticizing President Trump.
“I know with the Colbert thing and all the Trump stuff, people think certain things, but they’re letting us do whatever we want, to their credit,” Matt Stone, one the show’s creators, said during a recent interview with The New York Times.
Co-creator Trey Parker said the show’s current season, which has been sharply critical of the president and his administration, is reflective of how politics and government has seeped into many aspects of daily life.
“It’s like the government is just in your face everywhere you look,” Parker told the Times. “Whether it’s the actual government or whether it is all the podcasters and the TikToks and the YouTubes and all of that, and it’s just all political and political because it’s more than political. It’s pop culture.”
Paramount has faced increased scrutiny in recent months over the tone and substance of its content following its merger with entertainment giant Skydance and a promise its leadership made to the federal government to represent a more “diverse” set of viewpoints.
It appointed independent journalist Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News and turned heads by canceling “The Late Show” with comedian Stephen Colbert, a frequent Trump critic.
One of the longest-running animated satire shows on television, “South Park” has experienced a ratings boom during Trump’s second term and has at times earned pointed rebukes from the White House and members of the president’s Cabinet.
“You know, next year will be different,” Parker told the Times. “If there’s one thing we know, it is that our show will be a lot longer than theirs.”
