What Happened in the ‘South Park’ Season-27 Premiere?

South Park more than made up for its time off the air during the 2024 presidential election in its first episode since 2023. Finally, in the season-27 premiere, which aired on July 23, the show began parodying the second Trump era. It addressed the new dominance of anti-woke culture; the Paramount-Skydance merger following the $16 million 60 Minutes settlement with the president; and Stephen Colbert’s Late Show cancellation. And, in the most South Park twist of all, gave Donald Trump an incredibly tiny penis. Trump has yet to respond on Truth Social, though that is likely impending.

The episode, titled “Sermon on the Mount,” begins with a bereft Eric Cartman learning that NPR — which he calls “the funniest show ever where lesbians and Jews complain about stuff” — has been “canceled” by the president. From there, Cartman enters a deep depression because the world has become anti-woke like him and he no longer feels special. At South Park Elementary, PC Principal (which now stands for “Power Christian Principal”) introduces Jesus in a school assembly, to Cartman’s dismay. Cartman then attempts and fails to asphyxiate himself — and Butters — in a car for the rest of the episode.

So, how does Trump come into frame? Stan Marsh becomes outraged by Jesus’s presence at South Park Elementary (after consulting with a ChatGPT-alike instead of his wife), and the former Trump voter incites a protest, with the town getting increasingly mad at Trump, calling him slurs. The episode cuts over to the president, animated with a small body and real photos as his face. Immediately, he’s fighting with the Canadians, yelling at a portrait artist who paints his penis too small even though “that’s the size it is in the photo,” and trying to convince his boyfriend, Satan, to have sex with him again. When an aide hands off a phone call from South Park, he sues the town over their protests. As the protestors rage, Jesus returns and delivers a sermon under his breath cautioning the people of South Park to settle with Trump. “I didn’t want to come back and be in school, but I had to because it was part of a lawsuit and an agreement with Paramount,” he says, giving the titular sermon on the mount. Later, he cautions that “if someone has the power of the presidency and also has the power to sue and take bribes, then he can do anything to anyone.” And he asks, “Do you really wanna end up like Colbert?”

The episode ends with the town of South Park agreeing to settle with Trump for $3.5 million while also needing to create pro-Trump PSAs. In the final PSA, which is not animated, a Trump look-alike is shown wandering through the desert à la Jesus. “When things heat up, who will deliver us from temptation?” a voice-over asks as Trump strips down to his underwear, then naked, due to the heat. Ultimately, he passes out from heat exhaustion, and his tiny, anthropomorphic penis with bright, animated eyes says, “I’m Donald J. Trump, and I endorse this message.” The narrator finishes up by saying, “Trump: His penis is teeny-tiny, but his love for us is large.” Well, that’s comforting.