The creators of South Park have announced a name change for the show, renaming it ‘South America’ in response to recent actions by President Donald Trump. Matt Stone and Trey Parker said their decision was inspired by what they described as the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google. The move follows Trump’s suggestion that New Mexico be renamed ‘New America’ in a video generated by artificial intelligence. Although the president has no power to rename a state on his own, he shared the idea publicly as part of broader efforts to reshape geographical names. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham rejected the idea and said the state’s name was not up for debate.
This is not the first time Trump has proposed changing public names. He previously ordered federal references to use the names ‘Gulf of America’ and ‘Lake America’. The Lake America order was signed on August 27 and directed federal agencies to update their maps and documents. South Park, which first aired in 1997, has often used its animated format to criticize Trump and his policies. The show’s creators have also faced backlash from Trump supporters over various storylines involving the president and his allies. This latest name change continues South Park’s tradition of political satire, especially in response to events happening in Washington. The reference to Apple and Google also points to criticism of companies that have acknowledged or supported Trump’s preferred terminology for places.
Google adopted the Lake America name for U.S. users while keeping Lake Ontario for users in Canada. Apple also changed the name for U.S. users after initially continuing to display Lake Ontario.
The announcement was made on social media by Parker and Stone, according to latimes.com. Asked how long the change would last, the creators said they were 100% committed to the South America name. They also criticized their parent company, Paramount, calling it ‘a Skydance Capitulation.’ This includes corporate and programming changes as well as a $16-million settlement related to a lawsuit involving a ’60 Minutes’ segment. The settlement involved Trump’s lawsuit over a 2024 interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Last year, the White House responded to an especially controversial episode by criticizing South Park for its portrayal of Trump. A spokesperson for the White House said the criticism showed hypocrisy on the part of those who once condemned the show’s content.
South Park recently won an Emmy Award for outstanding animated program. The winning episode was ‘Sermon On The ‘Mount,’ and it marked the show’s first win in that category since 2013. The Television Academy lists it as South Park’s fifth win for outstanding animated program.
The show’s 29th season will premiere on Comedy Central on Wednesday, September 16, and will be available on Paramount+ the following day in the U.S., Canada and Australia, according to a report from Radio Times. Additional episodes are scheduled every two weeks through November 25.
The show’s creators have become among the highest-paid comedy writers in the industry thanks to a five-year, $1.5-billion deal with Paramount. That agreement is worth about $300 million a year and gives Paramount+ global streaming rights to South Park.
IMAGE: Trey Parker and Matt Stone Gage Skidmore CC2