CBS and its parent company, Paramount Global, have been making headlines for a few reasons lately. Weeks ago, the network announced the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, while Paramount aimed to finalize its merger with Skydance. All the while, execs were engaged in a back-and-forth over the streaming rights to South Park. While that situation was resolved, another one arose when the animated show skewered U.S. President Donald Trump. Colbert responded to the episode, too, and didn’t hold back.
What Happened On South Park And How Did Stephen Colbert React?
The delayed Season 27 premiere of South Park sees the eponymous town protesting the presence of Jesus in local schools, leading to the townspeople being sued by a caricature of President Trump for $5 billion. Amid the situation, the Jesus character makes reference to a lawsuit involving Paramount (as the company just settled a $16 million suit with Trump in real life). Jesus eventually warns the townspeople about not suffering a fate similar to the one “Colbert” faced at CBS, saying that “you guys got to stop being stupid.”
Ultimately, the town settles and starts to produce Trump-centric PSAs, with one of those ads taking the form of a deepfake of a nude Trump stumbling in the desert. On top of that, the animated Trump character – who has POTUS’ actual head superimposed on him – is also seen getting in bed with Satan. The White House eventually responded to the episode, expressing significant disapproval of it. Stephen Colbert reacted to the episode on his show while talking about Trump’s executive order to de-regulate AI, with the host saying:
I completely agree with this one because, if the government interfered with private AI, innovators at South Park wouldn’t be able to make important videos like this one. [Plays deepfake video]. It is a message of hope. That is an important message of hope for our times, and you can check it out right here.
The “check it out right here” refers to the QR code that was dropped at the bottom of the screen amid the broadcast (part of which was shared on YouTube). Said code linked to a site called HeTrumpedUs.com, which featured the clip. All in all, this marks yet another instance in which the Late Show host has mocked the President and by extension, his employers.
What’s Been Going On With The Late Show Amid The Cancellation Drama?
The Late Show’s cancellation was announced earlier this month, and Stephen Colbert himself addressed it while on air as well. CBS said the show was to be canceled due to “financial” reasons. However, some insiders and public figures have questioned the timing of the decision. The cancellation was announced after Colbert criticized the network for settling the lawsuit with President Trump. Also, the suit was viewed by analysts as the last obstacle preventing Paramount Global from finalizing its merger with Skydance.
Since then, reactions from Jimmy Kimmel, Bowen Yang and more have surfaced, with many celebrities expressing disappointment of the cancellation of the long-running talk show. The series’ OG host, David Letterman, responded as well as did one of his former producers, with both expressing skepticism over the true reasoning for the decision. Andy Cohen also believes the network is “cooked” as a result of its decision to conclude the program in May 2026.
All the while, Stephen Colbert hasn’t held back in chastising his employers or the U.S. president. It’s been alleged that execs aren’t happy with Colbert’s comments and are also concerned about him possibly divulging unflattering information about the company. That aside, it’s said that the Late Night crew is disappointed by the demise of the show. As the 2025 TV schedule pushes on, the public will have to wait and see whether Colbert and South Park continue to take jabs at their employers and/or President Trump.
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