In a television landscape overflowing with choices, few shows can claim to have captured the zeitgeist for nearly three decades. Yet, on August 6, 2025, South Park did just that, smashing its own records and stirring up controversy as it ruthlessly lampooned the Trump administration and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The result? The highest-rated episode the animated series has seen since 2018, with a remarkable 6.2 million viewers tuning in across cable and streaming in just the first three days, according to Paramount and Comedy Central data cited by CNN and Deadline.
The episode, titled “Got a Nut,” didn’t pull any punches. It depicted Noem as an over-Botoxed, camera-ready ICE agent, obsessed with arresting Latinos—even ordering a raid on the afterlife after hearing that “many Latinos are in heaven.” The show’s satirical bite was as sharp as ever. In one scene, Noem, leading her ICE squad, shouts, “Remember, only detain the brown ones! If it’s brown, it goes down!” as angels scatter in panic. The writers didn’t stop there, escalating Noem’s infamous anecdote about shooting her 14-month-old dog into a full-blown puppy-killing spree that left viewers both aghast and amused.
Viewers responded in droves. According to Nielsen data shared by Comedy Central and reported by Los Angeles Times, the episode achieved a 15.61 share, meaning nearly 16% of all people watching cable that night had their TVs tuned to South Park. This is a staggering figure in an era when audiences are fragmented across hundreds of channels and streaming options. The episode was also the most-watched show on cable for its debut day, with 1.56 million viewers watching via Comedy Central alone. The rest came from Paramount+, which has become the exclusive streaming home for the series following a lucrative five-year, $1.5 billion deal between creators Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Paramount Global.
The satirical spotlight wasn’t reserved for Noem. The episode continued South Park’s season-long skewering of former President Donald Trump and his inner circle. Trump was depicted in a white “Fantasy Island”-style suit, with Vice President JD Vance as his diminutive, man-baby sidekick. The show didn’t shy away from the crude or the surreal; the season opener had already made waves by portraying Trump in a relationship with Satan, a gag that left the White House fuming. In fact, after the premiere, a White House spokesperson dismissed the show, claiming, “This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years.” Yet, the numbers tell a different story: the season’s record-breaking premiere had drawn 5.9 million cross-platform viewers in its first three days, and the second episode surpassed even that, marking a 49% increase in global streaming consumption compared to the post-premiere period, as reported by Paramount.
The second episode also found time to lampoon right-wing media figures, with Cartman donning a hairstyle reminiscent of conservative provocateur Charlie Kirk as he launched a podcast from his toilet. Mr. Mackey, the long-suffering school counselor, was laid off and joined ICE with barely any training, receiving only a short video from Noem declaring, “Together we will make sure everyone is in this country legally.” The show’s irreverence extended even to children’s television, with a parody of ICE agents targeting Dora the Explorer.
Reactions from those lampooned were as varied as the jokes themselves. Secretary Noem lashed out after the episode aired, calling South Park “lazy” and complaining that “only the liberals and the extremists” make fun of women for their appearance. Creators Parker and Stone, never ones to back down, responded with a bonus scene depicting Noem massacring a pet store full of puppies—doubling down on the satire. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security issued a terse but pointed statement, thanking South Park for “drawing attention to ICE recruitment,” and even posted about it on X (formerly Twitter). Vice President JD Vance, for his part, took a lighter approach, posting a screenshot of his cartoon likeness with the quip, “Well, I’ve finally made it.”
Behind the scenes, the show’s resurgence comes amid broader tensions between Paramount and the Trump White House. The new season launched just as Paramount settled a $16 million lawsuit over former President Trump’s claims that a 60 Minutes interview with ex-Vice President Kamala Harris was deceptively edited to favor her in the 2024 election. While First Amendment experts dismissed the suit as meritless, Paramount saw the settlement as necessary to clear the way for Skydance Media’s $8 billion acquisition of the company, a deal that closed on August 7. In a display of the ongoing friction, South Park lampooned Trump’s boast that Paramount would give him $20 million in public service announcements as part of the settlement—a claim the company has not confirmed.
For Parker and Stone, the current climate seems to have reinvigorated their creative drive. Their new five-year, $1.5 billion deal with Paramount Global not only secures South Park’s future on streaming but also positions the show as a key asset in the ongoing “streaming wars,” with services like HBO Max previously vying for the rights to the show’s 300-plus episodes. The latest ratings suggest the investment is paying off handsomely.
Not everyone is thrilled by South Park’s renewed relevance. The White House’s dismissive comments notwithstanding, some conservative figures have tried to laugh along, perhaps sensing that being in on the joke is preferable to being its target. Others, like Noem, have bristled at the show’s relentless focus on their public personas and controversies. But as the show’s audience numbers rise, it’s clear that viewers are hungry for its brand of no-holds-barred satire.
Despite the ratings bonanza, South Park announced a brief hiatus after the record-breaking episode, choosing instead to air classic fan-favorite episodes, including the very first installment from 1997. New episodes are set to resume on August 20, 2025, promising even more pointed commentary and, undoubtedly, more headlines.
With its latest season, South Park has not only proven its continued relevance but has also reminded audiences—and its targets—that satire, when wielded with precision, can still pack a punch in the crowded world of television. The show’s willingness to lampoon anyone and everyone, regardless of political affiliation, remains its trademark, and for now, viewers can’t seem to get enough.
