South Parkhas once again become themost talked-about show on television, 27 years after it first premiered. The show made headlines after the premiere of season 27, which brutally mocked President Donald Trump. One scene depicted the president naked in bed with Satan, while also referencing the recentcancellation ofThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Trump’s lawsuit against Paramount, and the prospect of government censorship.
Trump’s appearance on the show has been so high-profile that it even sparked a response from the White House, who issued the following statement:
“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. President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country’s history—and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”
While Trump might consider the show irrelevant, the animated stalwart justlanded a staggering $1.5 billion deal with Paramount, and its Trump-skewering episode “Sermon on the Mount” reportedly attracted 5.9 million viewers across the Comedy Central cable channel and the Paramount+ streaming service last week, making it the show’s biggest share of a cable audience for a season premiere since 1999.
South Parkis no stranger to controversy, and it never holds back punches. Here we’ve compiled a list of other world leaders the show has famously lambasted, ridiculed, mocked, and parodied.
10Bill Clinton
Season 2, Episode 2 - “Cartman’s Mom Is Still a Dirty Sl*t”
Bill Clinton is almost as well known for his infamous sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky as he is for being the 42nd President of the United States. Naturally, the creators ofSouth Parkcouldn’t resist the temptation to poke fun at the former world leader and his dubious past. His first appearance was way back in 1998, when Clinton was the current President of the United States. In a reference to his sexual proclivities, Eric Cartman’s mom ends up sleeping with him so that she can persuade him to change abortion laws.
Bill Clinton Became Somewhat of a Regular on the Show
Bill Clinton has made a total of 9 appearances on the show, as well as being inSouth Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Never shown in a particularly flattering light, he’s been a patient at an institution for sex addiction, started a “Gentlemen’s Club” with Bill Cosby for the boys at South Park Elementary, and even declared war on Canada for killing the Baldwins. Long before Trump’s appearance, Clinton was the go-to world leader forSouth Parkto roast, becoming a running gag in the series.
9Barack Obama
Season 12, Episode 12 – “About Last Night…”
Obama is another world leader who has made multiple appearances inSouth Park. While serving as the American president in the show, he was also a member of a professional thief organization with John McCain. Both ran for the presidency with the understanding that if either won, it would give them access to the presidential escape tunnel, which would allow them to execute an intricate plot to steal the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian Institution. However, when Obama wins the Democratic vote, he decides to give the presidency a chance.
Obama’s First Major Appearance Was Aired the Day After the 2008 Election
South Parkhas built a reputation for being highly topical and bang on the ball when it comes to satirizing current affairs, but"About Last Night…“took that reputation to the next level. Obama was declared the winner of the 2008 U.S. presidential election on November 4 at 11:00 PM Eastern time, and literally the following day, aSouth Parkepisode starring Obama as the new president aired, proving that the show was unbeatable when it comes to skewering the most topical of current affairs.
Since then, Obama has made several cameos on the show as an exaggerated parody of his charismatic self, in appearances that have ranged from sharp political satire to absurdist surrealism.
8Vladamir Putin
Season 9, Episode 13 - “Free Willzyx”
Vladimir Putin is thecontroversial leader of Russiawho has been in power since 1999. His mix of authoritarian bravado, personal insecurities, and real-world geopolitical antics offers endless material for the show’s blend of sharp political satire and absurd, over-the-top humor.
While he has made brief cameos on the show over the years (starting with Season Nine, Episode “Free Willzyx”), his most memorable and on-the-nose appearance is, without a doubt, inBack to the Cold War(S25, Ep4).
‘South Park’ Pulls No Punches in Its Depiction of the Controversial Figure
He is portrayed as a desperate, insecure leader stuck in the past, who reignites global tensions because he feels ignored and wants to reclaim his lost power and masculinity. The show exaggerates his vanity and ego—most memorably in a surreal scene where he mourns his fading ‘sexiness’ while looking at an old shirtless photo of himself on a horse—using this absurd imagery to highlight the personal insecurities behind his aggressive political moves.
7George W. Bush
Season 10, Episode 9 - “Super Best Friends”
South Parkportrays George Bush as a well-meaning but bumbling and clueless president. Generally, the ribbing had started as fairly light-hearted, but whenSouth Parkdecides to get political, it pulls no punches, and Bush has found himself on the receiving end more than once.
Bush Has Been on the Receiving End of ‘South Park’s Merciless Roasting More Than Once
His most intense roasting came around the time of the Iraq War and the aftermath of 9/11, whenSouth Parksharply criticized his administration’s policies and the media’s portrayal of him. He’s briefly mentioned in “Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants”—the firstSouth Parkepisode to premiere after September 11. In the later episode “Mystery of the Urinal Deuce,” he is suspected of being secretly behind the 9/11 attacks, mocking both conspiracy theorists and the incompetence of the government, using biting humor and absurdity to lampoon Bush’s decision-making and the war on terror, making him one of the show’s most memorable political targets.
6Queen Elizabeth II
Season 11, Episode 4 – “The Snuke”
No one is safe from the merciless roasting crosshairs ofSouth Park—not even the beloved former monarch of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth. Wrongfully or rightfully,South Parkhas always portrayed the British as holding a grudge against the United States, and the Queen was no different.
No One Is Safe
In a subplot during the episode"The Snuke”, she tries to invade the United States with an army of archaic warships, but after discovering that her warships have been sunk, she commits suicide with a handgun. The real Queen died of natural causes at 96 years of age in 2022.
5Kim Jong-il
Season 7, Episode 2 – “Krazy Kripples”
One of the most problematic politicians in recent history, Kim Jong-il—the dictator and supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 until his death in 2011—makes a brief appearance inKrazy Kripplesas a member of Christopher Reeve’s Legion of Doom, a short-lived supervillain organization, playing up to his real-life villainous reputation in the West.
Kim Jong-il Plays a Far Larger Role in ‘Team America: World Police’
South Parkcreators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are also responsible for the hilarious and utterlyoutrageous puppetry comedy filmTeam America: World Police, a satire of action film archetypes, American militarism, and the foreign policy of the United States. In it, Kim Jong-il serves as the primary antagonist who forms a coalition with Islamic terrorists and liberal Hollywood actors.
4Kim Jong Un
Season 21, Episode 2 – “Put it Down”
After Kim Jong-il passed and his son Kim Jong-un stepped up as the new Supreme Leader of North Korea, it was inevitable that the writers ofSouth Parkwere going to go after the newly ‘appointed’ dictator, especially as tensions heightened between the States and North Korea.
Kim Jong-un’s Appearance Mirrors Real-World Political Spectacle
Appearing as a literal caricature of himself, tensions rise after fictional American president Garrison posts inflammatory tweets about North Korea. Fearing repercussions and scared for America’s safety, Tweek Tweak persuades Garrison to send cupcakes to Kim Jong-un to appease the leader.
However, as the episode progresses, Garrison continues to tweet, and we see a news report segment using real-life images and stock footage of Kim Jong-un planning bomb targets. The episode is a direct reference to Donald Trump’s questionable use of social media, including his own inflammatory tweets aimed at North Korea and its infamous leader.
3Saddam Hussein
Season 2, Episode 1 - “Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus”
Saddam Hussein, the former president and dictator of Iraq, was a controversial character, to say the least, so it makes sense that he’d make an appearance on one of television’s most controversial shows. He first appeared inSouth Parkin Season 2, Episode 1, where he was killed by a pack of wild boars and became Satan’s jealous, emotionally abusive, and manipulative boyfriend.
Hussein Is Best Known in the ‘South Park’ Universe as the Antagonist in ‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’
Although Hussein has made a few appearances in the series, his most memorable appearance in theSouth Parkuniverse is, without a doubt, his role in the movieSouth Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Here, he continues his romantic relationship with Satan as he plans to conquer the world by taking advantage of Satan’s position as ruler of Hell. He uses his position of power over Satan to launch an invasion of Earth after the American-Canadian war made it possible for him to enter, and his demons briefly manage to take over the world. A real-life supervillain, Hussein makes the perfect bad guy in Parker and Stone’s exaggerated, fictional world.
2Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton, although never officially the president, is a prominent American politician who served as the First Lady during Bill Clinton’s presidency and also ran for president herself during the 2016 election. She has been referenced dozens of times inSouth Park, with her first appearance being in‘The Simpsons Already Did It’, when a news broadcast shows a live-action photograph of Clinton followed by the anchorman saying that her “a** just keeps getting bigger.”
‘South Park’ Mocks Anti-Terrorism Paranoia
Clinton’s most prominent role in the show is probably in “The Snuke.” After a Muslim student joins the class, Cartman immediately suspects him of being a terrorist. After learning that Hillary Clinton (who, in real life, was running for the Democratic nomination for president in the 2008 United States presidential election at the time) is scheduled to campaign in town that day, he informs the CIA, and they pledge to investigate further.
The entire episode portrays her as completely out of touch and clueless, playing on the terrorist paranoia at the time and making her the target of the attack in an absurd and grotesque way.
Season 10, Episode 16 - “The Red Badge of Gayness”
InSouth Park, Al Gore is primarily known for his recurring role as a character obsessed with the fictional creature ManBearPig, which is used as a metaphor for global warming. He is portrayed as constantly trying to warn people about ManBearPig but is often dismissed and ridiculed.
‘South Park’ Apologized to Gore… Kind Of
After years of portraying Gore as a delusional and deranged fantasist,South Parkactually offers redemption for the character in “Time To Get Cereal” when it is revealed that the ManBearPig is actually real. This likely reflects Parker and Stone’s shifting views on climate change and is an indirect apology to the environmentalist.
