South Park Announces Name Change to "South America" Ahead of New Season
The animated series announced it will be temporarily rebranded as "South America" as a satirical response to recent political naming proposals, and criticized its parent company in a statement.
The creators of the long-running animated series said the show will be temporarily renamed "South America" for its upcoming 29th season, which premieres on Comedy Central on Sept. 16 and will be available on Paramount+ the following day. The change is presented as a satire of recent efforts by political figures to rename geographic features and public entities.
In a statement, Trey Parker and Matt Stone thanked their parent company Paramount, describing it as a "Skydance capitulation," and referenced the naming actions of major tech firms. The announcement follows the show's recent Emmy win for animated program and continues its tradition of political parody.
"Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation," the creators said.
The move comes after a former president announced plans to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America, a proposal that was reportedly reflected in map applications from Apple and Google.