South Park is unique among animated series in that the production schedule is so rapid it allows creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone to spoof current events mere days or even hours after they occur. That’s led to some incredibly topical episodes over the years, with the show targeting Presidential elections, celebrity scandals, and various other hot news items.
That trend has certainly continued in 2025. No sooner did Parker and Stone strike a lucrative new deal with Paramount than they kicked off Season 27 with a blistering parody of Donald Trump. Clearly, the show hasn’t lost its edge after all these years.
We figured now would be a perfect time to look back at some of the other times South Park has delivered timely, insightful political commentary. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these are the most memorably topical episodes from the past three decades. Click through the gallery below!
“Quintuplets 2000” (Aired 4/26/00)
South Park fans got one of their first tastes of how timely the show could be when this episode referenced the Border Patrol raid on Elian Gonzalez’s home that occurred earlier that week. In this case, Kenny was the stand-in for Elian.
“Trapper Keeper” (Aired 11/15/00)
This episode kicked off a regular tradition of spoofing the US Presidential elections every four years. The deadlocked vote for class president paralleled the bitter real-life divide over the outcome of the battle between George W. Bush and Al Gore.
“I’m a Little Bit Country” (Aired 4/9/03)
There was plenty of conflict over the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, both in the real world and the town of South Park. Helpfully, Cartman knocked himself unconscious so he could travel back in time, meet the Founding Fathers and learn that America has been divided over foreign policy from the very beginning.
“Douche and Turd” (Aired 10/27/04)
Shortly before the 2004 election, South Park aptly summarized the apathy many voters felt by forcing South Park Elementary students to pick between a Giant Douche or a Turd Sandwich as their new mascot. The message was clear – even if neither candidate is appealing, voting is still an important civic duty.
“Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset” (Aired 12/1/04)
Parker and Stone delivered one of their most scathing celebrity critiques ever when they targeted socialite/reality star Paris Hilton. Hilton’s fame may have faded, but this episode has lost none of its bite.
“Best Friends Forever” (Aired 3/30/05)
The show found a poignant new spin on the familiar “You killed Kenny!” gag with this episode, which parodied the Terry Schiavo case and the ensuing media furor. The episode wound up premiering hours before Schiavo passed away, and eventually nabbed the South Park team their first Emmy.
“Trapped in the Closet” (Aired 11/16/05)
This controversial episode directed its wrath at Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology, as Stan unwittingly found himself being propped up as the second coming of L. Ron Hubbard and Cruise locked himself in Stan’s bedroom closet. Needless to say, neither Cruise nor the Church of Scientology were very amused.
“Cartoon Wars Parts 1 & 2” (Aired 4/5/06 & 4/12/06)
In light of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, this two-part episode saw Americans literally bury their heads in sand over fears that Islamic extremists would retaliate against a Family Guy cartoon featuring the prophet Muhammad. Predictably, that created a real-world controversy of its own, and Comedy Central ultimately decided against showing the image of Muhammad in their broadcast.
“Hell on Earth 2006” (Aired 10/15/06)
This episode parodied MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 as Satan threw a raging birthday party. What raised eyebrows, however, was the decision to feature the very recently deceased Steve Irwin as a party guest. It raised the question of how soon is too soon when it comes to satire, though Parker and Stone remained adamant that anyone and anything is fair game in the South Park universe.
“About Last Night…” (Aired 11/5/08)
South Park lampooned the outcome of the 2008 Presidential Election the very next night, even including audio recorded from Barack Obama’s victory speech. Here, Obama and John McCain were revealed to be members of an Ocean’s Eleven-style criminal ring using the election as cover for a major heist.
“Margaritaville” (Aired 3/25/09)
This episode appeared at the height of the Great Recession to deliver plenty of insightful commentary on the housing bubble and American consumer culture. In the process, Kyle became a messianic prophet of “The Economy” and Stan discovered just how arbitrary the entire system really is.
“200 & 201” (Aired 4/14/10 & 4/21/10)
Parker and Stone again courted controversy by featuring the Islamic prophet Muhammad in a dramatic, two-part story arc, and Comedy Central again chose to censor their broadcast. These episodes were also notable for featuring nearly every celebrity the show had mocked in its first 199 episodes.
“Obama Wins!” (Aired 11/7/12)
This episode suggested that Obama’s 2012 re-election was part of a larger web of conspiracy involving China hiring Cartman to steal ballots and Mickey Mouse (fresh off Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm) trying to tempt Cartman to the Dark Side. It was all very complicated, but fortunately Morgan Freeman was there to narrate the conflict.
“World War Zimmerman” (Aired 10/9/13)
Only South Park could manage to simultaneously parody the movie World War Z and the controversy over George Zimmerman’s murder trial. What resulted was some of the show’s most biting and insightful satire ever.
“Stunning and Brave” (Aired 09/16/15)
South Park kicked off a season-long storyline about political correctness by introducing new character PC Principal and spoofing both Caitlyn Jenner and Tom Brady’s “Deflate-gate” scandal. Plus, Randy joined a PC-obsessed fraternity.
“Oh, Jeez” (Aired 11/9/16)
The show was forced to quickly overhaul a planned episode when it explored the immediate aftermath of the 2016 Presidential election and its surprising conclusion. As Mr. Garrison claimed victory while a bewildered South Park looked on, this episode escalated other season-long conflicts like Denmark’s war against online trolls and the civil war between the boys and girls of South Park Elementary.
“Band in China” (Aired 10/2/19)
This episode certainly proved prophetic as it lampooned Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping and China’s habit of censoring Western productions. As a result, the series was promptly banned entirely in China. This episode even wound up being aired during the Hong Kong protests as a show of defiance.
“Sermon on the ‘Mount” (Aired 7/23/25)
After a long hiatus, South Park returned in 2025 and immediately unleashed its full might against the Trump Administration and the growing Epstein Files scandal, with parent company Paramount itself caught in the satirical crossfire. Among other things, this episode depicts Trump as Satan’s new lover and ends with a deepfake video of Trump stumbling naked through the desert. Needless to say, the White House was not amused.
What’s your favorite topical South Park episode? Let us know in the comments.
Note: this article was originally published on 11/10/2016 and updated on 7/25/2025 with the latest South Park controversies.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
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