The South Park Trump Video Is More Than Funny
South Park’s video parody featuring naked Trump in the desert could have dropped pretty much any time and sparked a chorus of internet buzz, earned media coverage and chatter. But that would have been generic run of the mill roasting.
By dropping it yesterday, South Park took comedic timing to another level.
It came out
A month after 60 Minutes paid what amounts to extortion fees for editing choices well within fourth estate rights
A week after Paramount’s discontinuation of Colbert— the industry’s top late night show
Days after Parker and Stone sold South Park for $1.5 billion
The week that WSJ was slapped with a $10 Billion lawsuit for publishing description of a letter between Trump and Epstein.
Within hours of FCC approval of Paramount’s sale
The gumption of South Park creators to go straight for the tender nerve of the with a hot iron is more than just an opportunity to laugh (or be grossed out)— it is a display of courage, a testament to the freedom of speech during a time when that basic right feels under siege.
For Paramount, the timing of this is actually good proof positive that its executives still have creative freedom and guts. At a time when questions around just how much influence owners were going to get over programming, this sends a signal to doubters that Paramount is an entertainment company and not a purley biased extension of a political apparatus.
This doesn’t make up for it to many who planned their nights around Colbert, but there is still hope yet for a new contract to emerge (technically).
Like them or not, you’ve gotta give it up to South Park creators Stone and Parker; they just pulled off quite the comedic coup while laughing their way to the bank.
They even issued an “apology” at Comicon yesterday, still doing “the bit” of course.
