South Park creator makes mock apology to Trump

South Park co-creator Trey Parker has made a short joke apology to President Donald Trump for ridiculing him in the opening show of their 27th season.

The episode, broadcast on Wednesday, made several jokes at the US president's expense, including depicting him naked in bed with Satan.

After it aired, the White House described South Park as a "fourth-rate" show that was "hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention".

Asked about the reaction during a panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Parker said, with a mock-serious face: "We're terribly sorry."

Parker was taking part in a panel alongside co-creator Matt Stone, Beavis and Butt-Head creator Mike Judge and actor Andy Samberg, who co-created animated show Digman!

On Thursday, the day after the episode aired, White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said: "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."

The long-running satirical animated show is often topical, taking aim at figures in authority.

The Guardian's Stuart Heritage called it "South Park's most furious episode ever", and noted the voiceover at the end of the show which said of the president: "His penis is teeny tiny, but his love for us is large."

Parker told the panel discussion they had received a note from the show's producers about the episode before broadcast.

"They said, 'OK, but we're gonna blur the penis,' and I said, 'No you're not gonna blur the penis,'" he explained.

The episode, shown on Paramount+, follows a merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media being recently approved by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The merger between the independent film studio and one of Hollywood's oldest and most storied companies was first announced in 2024.

The approval came just weeks after Paramount Global agreed to pay $16m (£13.5m) to settle a legal dispute with Mr Trump over an interview it broadcast on subsidiary CBS with former Vice-President Kamala Harris.

It also follows this week's announcement by Paramount-owned CBS that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026 after 33 years on air. Colbert is known for being one of Mr Trump's staunchest critics on late-night TV.