Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of the long-running animated series "South Park," have satirized President Donald Trump's executive order to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America." In a mock statement released Tuesday, the duo announced they would be renaming their own show "South America."
The statement, posted on X, humorously thanked "Apple and Google" for their "bravery and patriotism" in acquiescing to the renaming, and also acknowledged Paramount, the show's parent company, as a "Skydance Capitulation."
This jest follows the "South Park" season 27 premiere, which itself featured a satirical take on Trump, depicting him in bed with Satan and referencing alleged Jeffrey Epstein cover-ups. The episode also poked fun at Trump's settlement with CBS and its parent company, Paramount Global, which secured a $1.5 billion deal to stream "South Park" on Paramount+.
President Trump signed the executive order to rename the lake, situated on the U.S.-Canada border, citing the United States' role in protecting the Great Lakes and ensuring their security and investment for shipping and recreation. Fox Business confirmed that both Apple Maps and Google Maps updated their services to display "Lake America" for U.S. users in response to the order. Canadian users would continue to see "Lake Ontario," while users in other countries would see both names. Apple users would experience similar results. The tech companies had previously made comparable adjustments after Trump's executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."
Parker and Stone have frequently used their show to comment on political figures and events throughout Trump's presidency. Despite frequent satirical jabs at Trump, the "South Park" creators have maintained they aim for a balanced, "down the middle" approach in their commentary.