Fresh off of the drama of announcing the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Paramount Global PARA PARAA could have another controversy on its hands as the new “South Park” episode draws criticism from the White House.
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What Happened: Paramount recently renewed hit animated comedy “South Park” for five more years, paying $1.5 billion for 50 more episodes and global streaming rights. The deal comes after Colbert’s show was canceled, citing it was a financial decision.
To the critics of the Colbert decision, like Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who think the Colbert decision was political and Paramount is giving in to President Donald Trump, they may want to watch the new “South Park” episode.
In fact, Paramount executives may want to watch the latest “South Park” episode after paying $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the president against the media company over a “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris.
Colbert called the settlement “a big fat bribe” and Warren has referred to the settlement as bribery in plain sight.
Paramount may be in the doghouse with the president and White House after the new season 27 premiere episode of “South Park.”
The episode featured a storyline in which Trump sues people who speak out against him, according to a report from Variety. The episode features Jesus Christ coming to the fictional town of South Park to warn the residents that they could get cancelled if they don’t stop protesting the president, even citing the “60 Minutes” episode as an example.
The episode also features Trump in bed with Satan and several references to the anatomy of the president.
Read Also: Elizabeth Warren Has The Receipts: ‘Bribery In Plain Sight’ Funding Trump’s Library
White House Responds: Following the premiere of “South Park,” the White House has responded.
“This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Variety.
Rogers said “the Left” has gone after the offensive content on South Park for years, but is now praising the animated comedy.
“Just like the creators of ‘South Park,’ the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows.”
The White House spokesperson said Trump has “delivered more promises in six months than any other president in our country’s history.”
“No fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”
Why It’s Important: Over the years, “South Park” is known for controversy and tackling well-known topics and upsetting portions of the population.
The show took on topics like cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and weight-loss drugs. The show has never shied away from making fun of celebrities, just ask Matt Damon.
Show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were working on getting a new contract renewal as Paramount awaits FCC approval for its merger with Skydance Media.
Paramount signed a five-year, $1.5 billion contract with the show creators that includes streaming rights. Prior to the deal, past “South Park” episodes were streamed on HBO Max instead of Paramount+. This is due to Parker and Stone having control over the streaming rights.
Under the new deal, new episodes air on Comedy Central and stream on Paramount+ the next day. All old seasons have been removed from HBO Max and are now on Paramount+.
With the FCC still needing to sign off on the merger, this episode of “South Park” could set things back once again, potentially leading to Trump calling for the deal to be rejected or for “South Park” to be cancelled.
The timing of Colbert’s show cancellation is questionable at best, and Trump may have influenced the decision, as some have suggested. However, it’s also likely that late-night talk shows are losing their value for media companies due to high production costs and lower value on streaming platforms.
While people may binge-watch an entire season of “South Park,” it’s much harder to convince a streamer to watch old late-night episodes that feature old news.
PARA Price Action: Paramount stock hit a new 52-week high of $13.30 on Thursday, with shares trading at $13.23 at the time of writing.
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Photo: Rokas Tenys / Shutterstock.com
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