Mergers, Lawsuits, And Presidential Penises: ‘South Park’ Proves More Relevant Than It’s Been In 20 Years At Comic-Con Award Panel

San Diego Comic-Con’s Hall H was abuzz Thursday as South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone took the stage, just 24 hours after the show’s Season 27 premiere, “Sermon on the Mount,” aired on Comedy Central. The episode sparked immediate controversy with its unflinching satire of Donald Trump and its pointed jabs at Paramount, the show’s own corporate parent.

According to wide media reports, the White House dismissed the series as a whole, with spokesperson Taylor Rogers saying, “This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.”

Asked by moderator Josh Horowitz whether they had seen the reaction to the episode — which featured Trump nude in bed with Satan, his penis debated by demons and censors alike — Parker deadpanned, “We’re terribly sorry,” earning laughs from the packed hall.

The premiere was emblematic of the show’s infamous last-minute production process. “Just three days ago, we were going, ‘I don’t know if people are going to like this,’” Parker admitted. “We were reading stuff in the newspaper, and were like, ‘Let’s put that in there!’”

One particularly contentious element was the portrayal of Trump’s anatomy. “They’re like, ‘OK, but we’re gonna blur the penis.’ And I’m like, ‘No, you’re not gonna blur the penis,’” Parker said. Stone added, “We put eyes on the penis,” explaining the workaround: “Then it’s a character.” That absurd conversation reportedly lasted four days.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the backlash, the episode drew national attention, making the show as or more relevant than it has been at any point in the past two decades.

The premiere also addressed Trump’s alleged ties to Jeffrey Epstein, parodied NPR’s cuts, and referenced CBS canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. These choices paralleled real-world upheaval at Paramount, which had just finalized a five-year, $1.5 billion deal with Parker and Stone’s Park County production company. The timing coincided with the FCC’s approval of Skydance’s $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global.

While much of the panel focused on South Park, it was part of a broader Comedy Central showcase featuring Beavis and Butt-Head creator Mike Judge and Digman! co-creator Andy Samberg.

Parker confessed that even on the morning of the panel, the team was still trying to figure out next week’s episode. “Right now, we don’t know. But that’s how the show’s always been.”

Despite the provocations, South Park remains a cornerstone of Paramount’s programming strategy. And on Thursday night, the duo behind it all was honored with the Comic-Con Inkpot Award for excellence in animation.