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South Park's Trump Jokes Are Boosting Ratings and Raising Uncomfortable Questions for Paramount

MarketDash Editorial Team
23 days ago
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone aren't holding back on Trump material in 2025, driving viewership up more than double from 2023. The question is whether Paramount Skydance's new owners will keep letting them push boundaries, especially after the Trump administration helped clear their merger.

After 28 seasons, you'd think South Park might run out of envelope to push. You'd be wrong.

The animated comedy has gone all-in on President Donald Trump content in 2025, and Paramount Skydance Corp (PSKY) is watching the results with what we can only imagine are deeply mixed feelings. On one hand, viewership is soaring. On the other hand, the Trump administration just helped clear their merger and threw support behind their Warner Bros. Discovery bid. Awkward timing, to say the least.

How Far South Park Is Willing to Go

This year's episodes have featured Trump alongside Vice President JD Vance, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, and other White House figures. One episode mocked tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook showering Trump with praise and gifts.

Back when the mockery seemed lighter, Vance actually tweeted his approval. "Well, I've finally made it," he wrote after being featured on the show.

He might be reconsidering that endorsement now. The latest episode depicts Vance and Trump in an intimate moment in bed at the White House. There's also a plotline involving Satan and Trump having a baby together, with Vance attempting to kill the unborn child, according to Variety.

MarketDash reached out to the White House for comment but didn't receive a response.

Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone show no signs of easing up. "It's not that we got all political," Parker told the New York Times. "It's that politics became pop culture."

Parker emphasized that South Park has offended both sides of the political spectrum over its run. "We're just down-the-middle guys," he said.

The White House did comment earlier this year, though, when spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Variety: "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."

Rogers claimed South Park's popularity was hitting record lows. The ratings data suggests exactly the opposite.

The Numbers Tell a Different Story

South Park has been a cornerstone of Comedy Central, the cable network owned by Paramount Skydance, since its debut. The Trump-focused plotlines are delivering serious results. Viewership has more than doubled compared to 2023, when the last full season aired.

That's the good news. The bad news is considerably more complicated.

Paramount Skydance is the product of a recent merger between two media companies. The Trump administration approved that deal after a lengthy delay. More recently, the administration signaled support for Paramount Skydance to win a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, warning other potential bidders they might face regulatory obstacles.

So now Paramount owns a show that's generating massive viewership by making fun of an administration that just gave the company two significant regulatory wins. The math here isn't complicated, but the politics certainly are.

Creative Freedom Meets Corporate Reality

In his New York Times interview, Matt Stone said the South Park creators haven't received any pushback on the new episodes from Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison or other new executives.

"They're letting us do whatever we want," Stone said.

That's impressive, especially given the context. The question facing Paramount Skydance, its investors, and arguably the White House itself is whether this hands-off approach can continue indefinitely. Will the show's creative freedom eventually collide with the company's need to maintain good relationships in Washington?

Right now, the show is printing money through ratings. But future merger approvals and regulatory decisions carry their own value. At some point, someone at Paramount might have to make an uncomfortable calculation about which matters more.

Stock Performance and Investor Considerations

Paramount Skydance stock traded up 1.79% to $15.65 on Friday, within its 52-week range of $9.95 to $20.86. Shares are up 32.8% year-to-date in 2025.

For investors, this situation presents an unusual risk factor. South Park's ratings surge is clearly positive for the company's content portfolio. But the potential for political blowback that could affect future deals adds a layer of uncertainty that's tough to quantify.

The show has survived controversies for nearly three decades. Whether Paramount's relationship with the Trump administration can survive South Park's version of political satire might be the more interesting question in 2025.

Back to News

South Park's Trump Jokes Are Boosting Ratings and Raising Uncomfortable Questions for Paramount

MarketDash Editorial Team
23 days ago
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone aren't holding back on Trump material in 2025, driving viewership up more than double from 2023. The question is whether Paramount Skydance's new owners will keep letting them push boundaries, especially after the Trump administration helped clear their merger.

After 28 seasons, you'd think South Park might run out of envelope to push. You'd be wrong.

The animated comedy has gone all-in on President Donald Trump content in 2025, and Paramount Skydance Corp (PSKY) is watching the results with what we can only imagine are deeply mixed feelings. On one hand, viewership is soaring. On the other hand, the Trump administration just helped clear their merger and threw support behind their Warner Bros. Discovery bid. Awkward timing, to say the least.

How Far South Park Is Willing to Go

This year's episodes have featured Trump alongside Vice President JD Vance, Kristi Noem, Stephen Miller, and other White House figures. One episode mocked tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook showering Trump with praise and gifts.

Back when the mockery seemed lighter, Vance actually tweeted his approval. "Well, I've finally made it," he wrote after being featured on the show.

He might be reconsidering that endorsement now. The latest episode depicts Vance and Trump in an intimate moment in bed at the White House. There's also a plotline involving Satan and Trump having a baby together, with Vance attempting to kill the unborn child, according to Variety.

MarketDash reached out to the White House for comment but didn't receive a response.

Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone show no signs of easing up. "It's not that we got all political," Parker told the New York Times. "It's that politics became pop culture."

Parker emphasized that South Park has offended both sides of the political spectrum over its run. "We're just down-the-middle guys," he said.

The White House did comment earlier this year, though, when spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Variety: "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."

Rogers claimed South Park's popularity was hitting record lows. The ratings data suggests exactly the opposite.

The Numbers Tell a Different Story

South Park has been a cornerstone of Comedy Central, the cable network owned by Paramount Skydance, since its debut. The Trump-focused plotlines are delivering serious results. Viewership has more than doubled compared to 2023, when the last full season aired.

That's the good news. The bad news is considerably more complicated.

Paramount Skydance is the product of a recent merger between two media companies. The Trump administration approved that deal after a lengthy delay. More recently, the administration signaled support for Paramount Skydance to win a bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, warning other potential bidders they might face regulatory obstacles.

So now Paramount owns a show that's generating massive viewership by making fun of an administration that just gave the company two significant regulatory wins. The math here isn't complicated, but the politics certainly are.

Creative Freedom Meets Corporate Reality

In his New York Times interview, Matt Stone said the South Park creators haven't received any pushback on the new episodes from Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison or other new executives.

"They're letting us do whatever we want," Stone said.

That's impressive, especially given the context. The question facing Paramount Skydance, its investors, and arguably the White House itself is whether this hands-off approach can continue indefinitely. Will the show's creative freedom eventually collide with the company's need to maintain good relationships in Washington?

Right now, the show is printing money through ratings. But future merger approvals and regulatory decisions carry their own value. At some point, someone at Paramount might have to make an uncomfortable calculation about which matters more.

Stock Performance and Investor Considerations

Paramount Skydance stock traded up 1.79% to $15.65 on Friday, within its 52-week range of $9.95 to $20.86. Shares are up 32.8% year-to-date in 2025.

For investors, this situation presents an unusual risk factor. South Park's ratings surge is clearly positive for the company's content portfolio. But the potential for political blowback that could affect future deals adds a layer of uncertainty that's tough to quantify.

The show has survived controversies for nearly three decades. Whether Paramount's relationship with the Trump administration can survive South Park's version of political satire might be the more interesting question in 2025.