When the new season of South Park premiered in July 2025, few could have predicted that the irreverent animated series would once again capture the nation’s attention—let alone ignite a pointed back-and-forth with the White House. The season’s opening scene, which depicted President Trump in bed with Satan discussing Jeffrey Epstein, immediately drew a sharp response from the administration. The White House dismissed the series as a “fourth-rate show” and declared, “it hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years.” Yet, as the numbers rolled in, South Park proved otherwise, drawing its largest season premiere share on Comedy Central since 1999, according to Deadline.
On Wednesday night, August 6, 2025, the show returned with its second episode, “Got a Nut,” and the satirical spotlight only grew brighter. This time, the targets included not only President Trump but also a cast of administration officials and right-wing personalities, all lampooned with the show’s trademark dark humor. Some, like Vice President JD Vance, took the ribbing in stride. Vance, portrayed as Tattoo from the classic series Fantasy Island with Mar-a-Lago recast as the fantastical island, reposted a clip on social media with the wry comment, “Well, I’ve finally made it.”
Others were less amused. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, depicted as a serial dog shooter obsessed with her appearance—a nod to her memoir, in which she describes shooting her dog—voiced her frustration on “The Glenn Beck Program” the following day. “Only the liberals and the extremists do that,” Noem argued, referring to jokes about her looks. “If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that. But clearly they can’t. They just pick something petty like that.” She characterized the show’s approach as “lazy” and suggested that the focus on appearance, rather than policy, revealed a lack of substantive critique.
The episode’s plot followed Mr. Mackey, the school counselor, who—after losing his job due to budget cuts—lands a new position with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The show’s writers didn’t hold back: Mackey joins ICE on raids that target a “Dora the Explorer Live!” show and, in a surreal twist, heaven itself, where he’s instructed to round up only brown angels. These scenes lampooned the administration’s immigration policies, which have been the subject of heated debate and widespread criticism for being inhumane and ineffective, as noted by Deadline.
As anticipation for “Got a Nut” built, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unexpectedly entered the fray. The agency’s official X account posted a screenshot from the South Park trailer featuring masked ICE agents, pairing it with a link to its recruitment website. The move seemed to co-opt the show’s satirical imagery in an effort to attract new hires—a bold, if unusual, bit of government social media strategy.
The South Park team was quick to respond. On August 5, 2025, the show’s official account fired back: “Wait, so we ARE relevant?”—punctuated by a cheeky hashtag. The exchange, widely shared and dissected online, became a flashpoint for discussions about the role of satire in American political discourse, and whether government agencies should try to leverage pop culture moments for their own messaging.
This isn’t the first time South Park has set its sights on Donald Trump or his administration. Since Trump’s election in 2016, the show has been an unflinching critic, skewering both his policies and his persona. Yet, the 2025 season’s success—its biggest opening in over two decades—suggests that its blend of biting humor and current events is resonating anew amid the turbulence of Trump’s second term.
Charlie Kirk, the founder of the pro-Trump youth group Turning Point USA, was another figure featured in “Got a Nut.” The show’s depiction was brief but unmistakable, with Kirk’s cartoon counterpart sparring with “woke liberal students.” Instead of bristling at the parody, the real Kirk embraced it, sharing clips on his social media feeds and even changing his avatar to a version of Cartman with a Kirk-style haircut. “Not bad, Cartman,” he commented, signaling a willingness to laugh along—at least publicly.
But the episode’s most pointed jabs were reserved for the administration’s immigration crackdown. By sending Mr. Mackey on raids of children’s shows and celestial realms, the writers underscored the surreal and, to many, troubling aspects of ICE’s real-world operations. The show’s creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, have long used absurdity to highlight what they see as the excesses and hypocrisies of those in power. This time, their target was clear: the aggressive enforcement tactics and controversial rhetoric that have defined Trump-era immigration policy.
As Deadline notes, the exchange between South Park and DHS “highlights the ongoing controversy surrounding Trump’s immigration policies, which have been widely criticized for being inhumane and ineffective.” The show’s willingness to lampoon not just the policies but the people behind them—sometimes to their face, so to speak—has reignited debates about the boundaries of political humor. Is it fair game to mock public officials for their appearance or personal history, as in Noem’s case? Or should satire stick to policy and public actions?
There’s no easy answer, and the reactions from those lampooned reflect the broader divide. Some see the humor as a badge of honor, proof of cultural relevance or political resilience. Others bristle at what they perceive as mean-spiritedness or a lack of substantive critique. Yet, as South Park’s creators might argue, the very point of satire is to provoke, to unsettle, and—at its best—to force a reckoning with uncomfortable truths.
Meanwhile, the show’s renewed popularity suggests that audiences are hungry for this kind of sharp, no-holds-barred commentary. Whether it’s the spectacle of a president in bed with the devil or the absurdity of ICE agents storming heaven, South Park continues to find new ways to hold a funhouse mirror up to American politics. And as long as those in power keep responding—whether with outrage, bemusement, or recruitment campaigns—the conversation is sure to continue.
With its latest season, South Park has done more than reclaim its relevance; it’s reminded viewers that in tumultuous times, laughter can be both a weapon and a salve. The show’s willingness to poke, prod, and provoke ensures that, for now, its satirical voice remains as sharp—and as necessary—as ever.
