South Park seems to be adopting a strategy reminiscent of Donald Trump: if a name doesn’t sit well, just change it.
For its 29th season, the animated series has revealed a new name — it will now be referred to as South America.
Staying true to the show’s signature ironic humor, this announcement serves as a pointed jab at the U.S. president and his persistent initiatives to rename various geographical features to incorporate America.
“Motivated by the courage and nationalism exhibited by Apple and Google, we are renaming South Park to SOUTH AMERICA,” the creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, stated in a statement issued to multiple outlets on Tuesday.
“We particularly want to express our gratitude to our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation.”
The final remark carries an extra sting for a reason: the show’s parent company, Paramount Skydance, is under the ownership of David Ellison. Ellison, who claims not to be aligned with Trump, along with his father, is currently facing a lawsuit for allegedly entering a side agreement with Trump to facilitate the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Trump’s attempts to rebrand geographic locations began early in his second term, notably when he sought to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America amidst rising trade tensions.
More recently, this renaming initiative reached Lake Ontario, as he instructed the U.S. government to refer to it as Lake America. While certain local and international organizations, along with navigation apps, have declined to adopt the new titles, Apple and Google have faced backlash for complying with the changes on their mapping services.
The announcement regarding South Park came just a day after Trump posted a video on social media, suggesting that the state of New Mexico could be rebranded as New America.
Whether South America is merely a temporary gag or a running theme for the new season remains to be seen. Regardless, it aligns perfectly with the show’s recent tone—particularly its consistent satire of Trump and his administration.
The Emmy-winning, irreverent comedy series, which debuted in 1997, has consistently attracted criticism from Trump, his administration, and other MAGA supporters due to its bold parodies. The show has depicted, among other scenarios, Trump in bed with Satan and former Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem with a distorted, Botox-melting visage.
Recently, the series has been digging even deeper into Trump’s vulnerabilities.
On Monday, the official Instagram account of the show took another jab at the president while celebrating its Emmy win for Outstanding Animated Program. The post showcased the show’s animated Trump character with his pants down holding an Emmy, accompanied by the text: “You finally got your Emmy.”
Trump has a well-documented history of lamenting on social media about never having won an Emmy for his reality show The Apprentice, alleging that the awards are not awarded fairly.
The 29th season of South Park — or rather, South America — is set to debut on September 16 on Comedy Central, with its Canadian release following the next day on Paramount+.