The creators of the animated series South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, have announced that the show will be renamed "South America" for its upcoming season, a move that appears to be a commentary on President Donald Trump's attempts to rename geographical locations.
"Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA," Stone and Parker stated. This announcement comes after the show, now in its 29th season, won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program.
The official social media account for the show shared an image with the "South Park" sign altered to read "South America." The creators also made a reference to their parent company, Paramount - a Skydance Capitulation, noting the company's parent is Paramount Skydance.
This action follows a pattern of President Trump seeking to rename geographical features with the word "America." In August, the Trump administration ordered the renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America amid escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada. Similarly, last year, Trump directed that the Gulf of Mexico be renamed the Gulf of America. Mexico has reportedly rejected the latter change, asserting that one nation cannot unilaterally rename an international body of water.
Tech companies Apple and Google subsequently updated their respective Maps applications for U.S.-based users to reflect the renamed Lake Ontario. Prior to these actions, Trump had shared an AI-generated video depicting him overlaying the word "America" onto a "Welcome to New Mexico" sign.
South Park, which has been airing since 1997, has a history of satirizing U.S. presidents. The show's creators have frequently drawn criticism from Trump, the White House, and supporters of the Make America Great Again movement for their depictions of the president. In one instance during the show's 27th season, an episode featuring Trump in bed with Satan led the White House to describe South Park as a "fourth-rate" show employing "uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention."
Following their Emmy win, South Park also posted an image that humorously depicted a fictionalized Donald Trump receiving the award, with the text "You finally got your Emmy."
The new season of South Park is scheduled to premiere on September 16. The show's creators' decision to rename their program "South America" highlights a recurring theme in their work, engaging with political commentary through satire.