For much of President Donald Trump's first term, South Park largely avoided making him a central figure in the way many fans expected. But after diving headfirst into Trump-focused jokes over the past two seasons, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are explaining why they felt it was necessary to bring the president back.
Speaking during the 19th Television Academy Honors, Parker and Stone reflected on South Park's long-running role comedy and how the current political climate influenced their creative decisions. "For 30 years, you've always had some group trying to tell you what you can and can't say," Parker said. "And that group has changed. That group has been liberal. That group's been Republican.
"We've always known that our job was, we're supposed to be the joker," he coninued. "You need that. You need someone just making fun of things. It's a great thing to be able to be. And unfortunately, right now, we have a president who thinks his job is to be the joker."
That observation helps explain why South Park's recent seasons have featured some of the show's most direct political commentary in years. After largely stepping away from weekly Trump satire following the infamous Mr. Garrison storyline that begain in season 19, Parker and Stone returned to the president in a major way during seasons 27 and 28.
Trump became a recurring presence throughout the show, with storylines that mocked both his public persona, his cabinet members, and the political movement surrounding him. Stone said the decision was driven in part to establish the show's independence.
"And so that's why we dove into the [27th and 28th] season and actually put Trump in there and Jesus and started talking about Christian nationalism and all that stuff," Stone explained. "Because we had to let people know, for better or worse, if you like it or you don't, it's like, this is us, ok? No one's telling us [what to do]."
From a late-night television perspective, the comments are particularly noteworthy. With The Late Show with Stephen Colbert no longer on the air, television lost one of its most consistent voices for nightly political satire. Colbert's monologues frequently targeted Trump and his administration, making the CBS host a central figure in political comedy.
Parker's and Stone's comments suggest viewers should not expect South Park season 29 to become less political. For fans, the animated series could fill the void left by Colbert's departure. The creators previously argued that politics has become part of pop culture, making it impossible to ignore. That message should hit home for anyone critical of late-night TV for becoming too political. South Park's new season seems positioned to follow the same playbook.
For Parker, that's simply the job description. If President Trump enjoys tossing out insults at everyone from the pope to Bill Maher, then the team at South Park will take it upon themselves to step up and show who the real jokers are.
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