Image source, Getty ImagesThe creators of South Park, the animated TV show, have announced that its new series will be named South America, in an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump’s attempts to rename a lake and a gulf.
“Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA,” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker wrote in a statement.
Trump signed an executive order in August to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, and last year declared that the Gulf of Mexico be known as the Gulf of America.
The announcement from South Park, now in its 29th season, comes after the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program on Sunday.
The official name change shared to the show’s official social media account featured an image of the South Park sign with the word ‘Park’ replaced with ‘America’.
“We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount – a Skydance Capitulation,” its creators said in the post.
Paramount Skydance is the show’s parent company. The Trump administration this year approved a $111bn (£82.8bn) merger with Warner Bros Discovery – one of the biggest media deals in history.
But the merger has since been paused until June 2027, after 12 US states filed lawsuits against the deal for fear of it harming competition and leading to higher prices for consumers.
A day before the show’s announcement, Trump shared an AI-generated video of him placing the word ‘America’ over ‘Mexico’ on a “Welcome to New Mexico” sign.
In August, as trade tensions escalated between the US and Canada, Trump ordered a similar change for Lake Ontario – renaming it Lake America.
Apple and Google subsequently changed the name in their respective Maps apps for US-based users.
And last year, Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico be renamed as Gulf of America. Mexico has rejected the name change, arguing a single country cannot rename a shared body of international water.
South Park, which has run since 1997, has regularly mocked the US president during his two presidency terms.
Both its creators, Stone and Parker, have repeatedly drawn criticism from Trump, the White House and MAGA supporters for its jabs at the president.
During its 27th season, the White House described South Park as a “fourth-rate” show that was “hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention”, after an episode depicted Trump naked in bed with Satan.
After winning the award for Outstanding Animated Program on Sunday, South Park also shared an image depicting a fictionalised Donald Trump with the words: “You finally got your Emmy.”
The new season of South Park will premiere on 16 September.
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7 July 2017
