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The creators of the long-running animated comedy series South Park have announced that the programme’s upcoming season will be rebranded under the title "South America". The creative pivot appears to be a direct satirical swipe at recent efforts by US President Donald Trump to unilaterally re-title prominent geographical landmarks, waterways, and locations across North America.
Showrunners Matt Stone and Trey Parker confirmed the high-profile title adjustment in a tongue-in-cheek public statement. In their remarks, the creative duo humorously credited major American technology corporations for motivating the decision, stating that they were inspired by what they characterized as the bravery and patriotism displayed by Apple and Google in embracing recent presidential naming mandates.
The announcement was made across the animated comedy’s official social media platforms, accompanied by promotional artwork. The promotional graphic displayed the iconic, snow-covered South Park municipal sign, modified to show the word "Park" struck through and replaced with "America". It remains unclear whether the revised moniker will be carried as a permanent title alteration throughout the show's lifespan, or if the series will eventually revert to its original name later in the season.
The mock rebrand follows a string of controversial geographical renaming measures pushed by the Trump administration. In August, against the backdrop of mounting trade tensions between the United States and Canada, Trump signed an official executive order that renamed Lake Ontario to "Lake America".
Following the White House's executive directive on Lake Ontario, prominent tech platforms moved swiftly to reflect the change domestically. Both Apple and Google updated their respective digital mapping applications, displaying the newly assigned title of Lake America to users accessing the services within the United States.
The lake order follows an earlier move last year, in which Trump declared that the Gulf of Mexico should be officially recognized as the "Gulf of America". That decree triggered diplomatic resistance from the Mexican government, which firmly rejected the rebranding effort on the grounds that a single sovereign nation lacks the legal authority to unilaterally rename a shared international body of water.
Trump’s fixation on geographical names was further underscored just one day prior to the South Park announcement, when the president shared an artificial intelligence-generated video online. The digital clip depicted Trump pasting the word "America" directly over "Mexico" on a roadside welcome sign for the US state of New Mexico.
The satirical rebranding announcement arrived during a momentous week for the creators, coming immediately after the show secured a major industry accolade. South Park was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, marking another critical milestone as the animated institution enters its 29th season on the air.
Stone and Parker capitalized on their award win to launch another targeted barb at the US president. Following their victory, the show’s digital accounts posted an illustration of a fictionalized, cartoon Donald Trump alongside a mocking caption reading: "You finally got your Emmy."
Beyond lampooning the administration's geographical orders, the creators utilized the rebranding announcement to deliver sharp satire aimed at their own corporate leadership. In their formal message, Stone and Parker extended special gratitude to their parent company, describing the corporate entity as "Paramount - a Skydance Capitulation."
The barb points to broader media consolidation dynamics involving the show’s parent company, Paramount Skydance. Earlier this year, the Trump administration granted regulatory approval for a massive $111 billion (£82.8 billion) corporate merger between the conglomerate and Warner Bros Discovery, a transaction recognized as one of the largest media mergers in modern history.
However, the mega-deal has since encountered significant legal friction and has been formally halted until at least June 2027. The pause follows a coalition lawsuit launched by twelve US states, whose attorneys general have challenged the merger over concerns that reduced market competition could directly inflate entertainment costs for everyday consumers.
South Park, which originally made its television debut in 1997, has established a decades-long tradition of tackling hot-button political controversies. Across Trump's two terms in the White House, the series has consistently placed the president at the center of its biting political caricatures and cultural commentary.
That steady stream of satire has frequently drawn fierce pushback from Trump himself, his administration officials, and supporters across the MAGA movement. Tensions reached a flashpoint during the broadcast of the show’s 27th season, following a controversial episode that depicted a naked Donald Trump sharing a bed with Satan.
In response to that provocative season 27 portrayal, the White House issued a blistering statement disparaging South Park. Official spokespeople labeled the Emmy-winning series a "fourth-rate" program that was "hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention."
Undeterred by political condemnation and corporate scrutiny, the satirical powerhouse shows no sign of toning down its provocative edge. Fans will see how the new rebrand plays out on screen when the 29th season of the animated series officially premieres on September 16.
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