Topline
“South Park,” the animated satire that recently renamed itself “South America” in an apparent dig at President Donald Trump, will lampoon “stupid billionaires” and the controversial data centers they want to build in a new episode set to air Wednesday night.
The new episode of “South Park” will follow the character Butters as he becomes “unhappy with the data centers that the billionaires are building in our backyards.” (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Paramount+)
Getty Images for Paramount+
Key Facts
The new “South Park” episode will follow character Butters as he becomes “unhappy with the data centers that the billionaires are building in our backyards,” according to a synopsis of the episode shared with Forbes.
A brief trailer posted to social media depicts Butters calling pest control to get rid of the billionaires, saying, “I swear, there’s more of these stupid billionaires every day.”
The trailer reveals few other details about the episode, but Butters is seen smashing a television and laptop in another brief clip.
Why Did “South Park” Change Its Name?
Ahead of the premiere of its 29th season earlier this month, “South Park” announced it changed its name to “South America.” Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the billionaire creators of the show, said the name change was “inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google,” an apparent jab at both companies after they changed the name of Lake Ontario in their map apps to Lake America following Trump’s executive order. “We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation,” the creators said, following the Paramount-Skydance merger that closed last year.
tangent
Data centers are increasingly unpopular, some recent polls show, as they have also become a key issue in the upcoming midterm elections. A Pew Research Center survey released last week found 54% of Americans said they think data centers are bad for the environment, up from 39% in January. Over that same period, the share of Americans who think data centers are bad for the quality of life of nearby residents rose from 30% to 49%. An NBC News Decision Desk poll published earlier this month found 69% of respondents would oppose the construction of an AI data center in their community. That poll found the vast majority of Democrats (81%) would be opposed, and although Republicans were somewhat more supportive, a majority (57%) still said they would be opposed. That puts some Republicans, both voters and candidates, in apparent opposition to Trump, who has fervently backed data centers. “If you want to go through poverty, crime and squalor, I would say don’t approve data centers,” Trump said in the Oval Office earlier this month. “If you want your house to be more valuable, you’re going to want a data center,” claiming they can make communities “rich.”
key background
“South Park” has lambasted the Trump administration throughout Trump’s second term. Last year, the sitcom satirized Trump in numerous episodes as Satan’s lover, while also taking aim at former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Noem called her portrayal “lazy” and “petty,” while the White House previously called it a “fourth-rate” show that “hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.”
further reading
‘South Park’ Changes Branding To ‘South America’ In Latest Trump Trolling (Forbes)
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