Trey Parker Says South Park Didn't Get Political, But "Politics Became Pop Culture"

""It's not that we got all political," Parker said. "It's that politics became pop culture." Stone added that they were also "attracted to" the idea that speaking out against the administration had become "taboo." According to the creative duo, they didn't decide to take on the US president until after their deal with Paramount was delayed by a merger between Paramount and Skydance that required the Trump administration's approval."

"And while Stone and Parker have frequently discussed returning to their regular style of programming, they realized there is "no getting away" from MAGA. "It's like the government is just in your face everywhere you look," Parker said. "Whether it's the actual government or whether it is all the podcasters and the TikToks and the YouTubes and all of that, and it's just all political and political because it's more than political. It's pop culture.""

"According to the creative duo, they didn't decide to take on the US president until after their deal with Paramount was delayed by a merger between Paramount and Skydance that required the Trump administration's approval. "We just had to show our independence somehow," Stone explained. Parker added that the Trump parody was meant to be a one-off: "We basically start with a song and we don't know where the album's going to take us.""

Focus on President Donald Trump and his administration arose as a byproduct of politics becoming pop culture. A delayed Paramount–Skydance merger that required the Trump administration's approval affected timing and created pressure to demonstrate independence. The Trump parody originated as a one-off concept that began with a song and evolved organically during production. Plans to revert to regular programming faced obstacles because MAGA permeated mainstream media, including podcasters, TikTok creators, and YouTube channels. Ratings for the season more than doubled compared with the previous season in 2023. No reported pushback emerged from David Ellison after he became Paramount's chairman and CEO following the merger.

Read at Consequence