Inside South Park's unexpected revival as show depicts Trump in bed with Satan

It’s a cartoon about 2D 10-year-olds known for its scat humour and satire - but now it's taking on the US government.

No matter your opinion of it, South Park is having an unexpected revival in 2025. Season 27 launched in July and went in on the Trump administration, no punches pulled or micro-penis jokes spared.

The first episode, ‘Sermon on the Mount’, sees Jesus return to South Park Elementary as a guidance counsellor, while President Trump makes a return to the Oval Office – animated in the same style as Saddam Hussein in previous episodes. And, just like the cartoon’s depiction of Sadam Hussein, Trump also appears to be in a sexual relationship with a denim-cut-off wearing Satan.

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But the real controversy ensued in the episode when Trump threatened to sue the small mountain town for $5 billion (£3.6 million), serving as a parody of his real-life lawsuit with Paramount (which settled a $16 million (£11.7 million) lawsuit with Trump over a CBS News episode of 60 Minutes).

Hard to top? The second episode ‘Got A Nut’, sees ex-guidance counsellor-turned-ICE-agent Mr Mackey round up Latino angels in heaven under the instruction of a habitual-dog-murdering Kristi Noem.

The premier amassed almost six million viewers across streaming platforms, while, according to The Hollywood Reporter, viewership for the second episode was 838,000 for its initial airing on Comedy Central — the third-highest initial tune-in for South Park in the past three seasons.

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Reddit comments were quick to call the revival for what it was. “That was so wonderful, they’re back baby," one penned. Another wrote: “I haven’t watched in probably a decade. I’ve watched both of the new episodes and will finish the entire season.”

A third said: “This season, after my short hiatus, has been huge. They are back.” Meanwhile, another explained the appeal: "People want to finally see someone drag Trump. No knee bending."

It appears the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, have struck a chord with a left-leaning audience who weren't previously so enamoured with the show's anti-PC gimmicks.

As someone who had no interest in the cartoon prior, even I’ve felt drawn to the recent episodes. Perhaps it’s just a sign of the times, but there is something cathartic about a show saying what organisations can’t.

Which is perhaps illustrated no more bluntly than by the actual second coming of Jesus – which some Christians believe is meant to occur during the Tribulation, a seven-year period of intense suffering. Describing the push towards Christianity and cultural conservatism in the most extreme and absurd metaphors, the show has been firing shots at Trump, yes, but also calling out the shift in social mores in a way that is refreshingly brash.

In the latest episode, ‘Wok is Dead’, Butters hunts for a rare Labubu so a girl, who has tricked him into thinking she’s romantically interested in him, can conduct a satanic ritual in her bedroom – only to conjure none other than Donald Trump and Satan.

The dastardly couple flee once Jesus enters the scene, leading Satan to confess that he’s pregnant with Donald Trump’s butt-baby. At this, the episode reaches its ultimate conclusion as Fox News confirms in victorious glee: “Trump is f***ing Satan.”

Yes, it is absolutely nuts. But watching it in a world where the US President shares AI-generated 'Chipocalypse Now' memes of himself appearing to threaten war on Chicago, it also, sadly, makes sense.

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