That����ap according to Colorado-raised kids and restaurant co-owners Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who stopped by “Jimmy Kimmel Live” this week to talk about their latest creative endeavors, including a new run of the duo’s acclaimed musical and a new season of their famed TV show

The conversation turned to Casa Bonita early in the interview, after host Jimmy Kimmel said he saw something online stating Parker and Stone are the two wealthiest comedians in the world — a claim they humbly and comedically denied.

“We would have been the richest comedians, except we decided to buy a restaurant,” Parker joked, wearing a suit in a strikingly similar shade of pink to Casa Bonita’s signature exterior paint.

As locals will recall, Parker and Stone bought Casa Bonita out of bankruptcy in 2021 and worked for nearly two years to rehab and reopen the venue, complete with the cliff divers, magic show and other attractions people loved about it. With somewhere around 50,000 square feet of real estate, that was no small task, especially because the building had fallen into disrepair over the decades since it originally opened in 1974. Their journey was captured in an equally hilarious and terrifying documentary called “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” available for streaming on Paramount+.

Stone said on “Kimmel” the two spent close to $50 million on the project. When asked if they were glad they invested in the restaurant, they both said yes.

“It was a cool thing to do, but it was a really dumb thing to do,” Parker said. “But knowing what we know now, there’s no way any smart business person would have done this. So there’s definitely no way anyone else would have done it, so it wouldn’t be there anymore.”

“I would say most of our career is defined by doing things that are not a smart idea,” Stone added.

The duo also dished on the “The Book of Mormon” returning to Broadway for a 15th anniversary run, during which both Parker and Stone are expected to grace the stage. They also revealed that the 29th season of “South Park” will return to the airwaves on Sept. 16, and gave insight into the magic behind their viral deep fake featuring President Donald Trump in the season 28 premiere.

Watch the full interview below:

Re: “Vet found stability building home; now city wants land,” May 3 news story, and “Denver Water to drain Antero Reservoir,” April 21 news story

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman can’t feel good that his city is about to ruin the life of Josh Kimbrough, who suffered brain injuries and trauma during his Army deployment. But he now needs to step up and change the narrative.

To help heal, Josh needs peace of mind, and he’s found it on the land he purchased in South Park, where he’s built a cabin for his family of four. But Aurora needs water, and has targeted his land for a large new reservoir. The city initially had another site, but believed this one is better because it will have one, not three, dams and be easier to operate.

Not good enough, Mr. Mayor. Better to incur a little more financial pain and spread it among all your water customers than stay the course and focus immeasurable physical pain and mental anguish on an injured veteran you would normally step up to protect.

Jeffrey Stroh, Denver

Aurora proposes flooding a large area of South Park for its planned Wild Horse Reservoir, while Denver Water drains Antero Reservoir because it does not have enough water in its system to keep it full during this drought.

Take a look at a map of South Park. The planned Wild Horse Reservoir is within spitting distance of Antero. The irony is delicious while also sad. I know Denver and Aurora have different water agencies, rights and responsibilities. Couldn’t something be negotiated so that yet another parcel of wonderful Colorado landscape is not inundated with water that might soon not be flowing if this drought continues?

I am not an expert on water law and the like, nor am I a fan of AI. But it couldn’t hurt Denver and Aurora to just ask their respective AIs: “Isn’t there an alternative to more dams and flooding in South Park?” Just ask for alternatives, please.

Martin Linnet, Golden

So let me get this straight. Aurora Water wants to spend $1 billion to create a new large, shallow reservoir — just a few miles as the crow flies — from Antero Reservoir, another large, shallow reservoir that is about to be drained, to avoid the massive evaporation that occurs with large, shallow reservoirs. This proposal seems laughable and lacking anything resembling science or research.

Wouldn’t it be more effective if Aurora eliminated all of the thirsty grasses and lawn areas that are merely ornamental? We need parks and similar shared recreation areas with grass, but I’ve seen plenty of subdivisions with lush grassy areas (like those between streets and sidewalks) that serve only an aesthetic purpose.

Randy Thompson, Salida

Did the Supreme Court decision gut the Voting Rights Act?

Re: “SCOTUS just neutered the Voting Rights Act,” May 3 commentary

Americans don’t like gerrymandering. Period. Irrespective of whether it’s a racial or political rationale.

Sunday’s opinion piece from Noah Feldman on the Supreme Court’s recent decision regarding Louisiana v. Callais, while predictably liberal, is surprisingly loud and histrionic given his usual pragmatism. While he probably didn’t write the headline, the decision hardly “neuters” the Voters Rights Act from 1965. Nor does it “gut” it, as Chuck Schumer babbled after the 2013 SCOTUS ruling on Shelby County v. Holder. Feldman claims the ruling serves to “eliminate Black Democratic members of Congress.” It does no such thing.

Since Shelby, both houses of Congress, mirroring the rest of society, have become far more racially mixed, with about versus only 45 in the 2011-13.

The VRA was neither neutered nor gutted. Nor were Black members “eliminated.” Rather, Black representation ballooned.

The recent decision merely reaffirms and restates that carving up districts based on race is illegal. Jim Crow died a too slow death, but most assuredly remains deceased today.

Employing the “the sky is falling” strategy when making an argument doesn’t make it more credible. It merely signals resignation.

Jon Pitt, Golden

I read with great interest Noah Feldman’s column in the Perspective section. He echoed every point I have been thinking about this with this new 6-3 conservative Supreme Court.

First, they started with overturning Roe vs. Wade after all three new justices agreed during their confirmation hearings that it was settled law. Then they gutted the Voting Rights Act, which was one of the cornerstones of our democracy.

We are returning to the Jim Crow era in this country as the rest of the democracies around the world continue moving forward, and we continue moving backward.

Shame on the Supreme Court. It is no wonder their approval ratings are at an all-time low.

It is a sad day for our country and one more step towards Christian Nationalism. Hungary sent the world a message, but apparently our country wasn’t listening.

David Shaw, Highlands Ranch

CHSAA needs to address youth sports loophole

Re: “CHSAA cracks down on high school recruiting,” May 3 editorial

I have coached youth football for 25 seasons and have witnessed multiple high school coaches directly ask middle school-aged players to “come play for them.” When I step in to protect my player, I’m often asked: “Why do you care?” My response is that it’s the student who usually pays the price for recruiting violations.

I agree that these two rule modifications are a good first step. But the middle school issue isn’t so cut and dry. When teams age out of youth football (8th grade), it’s the parents who start the conversation about which school their son should attend. They weigh factors like team success, playing time, the possibility of making varsity, the position they are likely to play, and whether the school will prepare them for college football.

As I understand the rules, an incoming freshman is not subject to “athletically motivated transfers.” High school coaches are aware of this and do what they can to try to influence students to attend their school. They do this through camps and by being involved in youth sports, either directly or by hiring youth coaches as assistants.

In the winter after his 8th-grade season, my nephew was invited to play for a “Colorado All-Star” team in a tournament where coaches from four different high schools were on staff. I witnessed two of them tell my nephew to come to their school, saying, “I have a spot for you.”

It used to be that high school coaches were prohibited from coaching youth sports. CHSAA should close this loophole by either reinstating the youth sports prohibition or acknowledging that they are OK with it.

Larry A Gombos, Littleton

Insurance companies could serve us better by cutting advertising

Every year, the top insurance companies spend billions on advertising and marketing. For example, , Progressive spent nearly $3.5B, State Farm $1.11B, Geico nearly $1.4B, and Allstate $1.87B. That����ap nearly $7.8 billion, not counting Liberty Mutual, USAA, Farmers, American Family, Nationwide, Travelers and others?

With global warming, devastating fires are burning up our forests, farmlands, the plains, and even parts of cities. In December 2021, the devastated Boulder County, laying waste to more than 6,000 acres and incinerating more than 1,000 homes and seven commercial buildings at a projected cost of $1 billion, making it Colorado’s most destructive fire in terms of property loss.

If the insurance companies used just 1% to buy firefighting aircraft instead of making millionaire celebrities even richer, how many planes could be bought to protect our homes? How many homes could have been saved, thus saving the insurance company millions? More planes in the air, less destruction, and the insurance companies save money. They could then pass the savings on to you.

Imagine seeing a plane flying over to save you and your loved one’s property with the logo of the insurance company on the side. Would you switch to that company? I would!

Randy Moyle, Westminster

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The couple bought their 23-acre property in 2017 as a place away from the chaos of Denver life, and where Josh could heal from the brain injuries and trauma he suffered while serving in the U.S. Army. For years, they lived in an RV on the property in the central high valley, which is surrounded by mountains, as they built a home.

They learned how to use excavators and other heavy machinery. They dug out their basement, installed a septic tank and plumbing lines, and wired a solar-powered electrical system. They bought and transported a two-room log cabin from Montana. They installed a playground for their children, ages 7 and 1.

On March 25, they received their certificate of occupancy and officially moved into their cabin.

“It����ap a sanctuary,” said Josh Kimbrough, 41. “It’s the first time in a very long time that I’ve been able to reduce my stress level enough to do some meaningful therapy work and become the person I want to be — versus the constantly triggered, high-anxiety person I’ve been.”

But what was meant to be a long-term home now feels uncertain. In February, Aurora Water announced its plans to on a swath of land that includes the Kimbroughs’ parcel.

The decision by the faraway city’s water utility has pitted two pursuits of stability against each other: Aurora Water’s hunt for reliable water supplies and the Kimbroughs’ search for peace.

“It has completely stripped me of all sense of stability and security for my family,” Josh Kimbrough said.

Aurora Water, for years, has sought to build a new reservoir so it can store more water for extreme drought years like this one.

The new body of water, to be named the Wild Horse Reservoir, would become the city’s largest at a capacity of 95,000 acre-feet. It would significantly  from 150,000 acre-feet to 245,000 acre-feet. An acre-foot of water is the amount of water it takes to cover an acre in a foot of water — more than 325,000 gallons — which is enough water for three Aurora households’ annual use.

The project is critically important for the growing city, said Sarah Young, an assistant general manager for the utility.

“If we don’t have the ability to store water for times of drought or emergencies, then we lose the ability to provide water to over 400,000 people,” Young said.

‘Not an easy decision,’ utility says

Aurora Water first planned to build the new reservoir at a different site that’s closer to Hartsel. It purchased the vast majority of the land needed to construct the reservoir there, but it stopped short of exercising eminent domain on the remaining necessary parcels.

However, showed that the current site, located farther south, made more engineering sense.

The southern location would require one dam instead of three, which would simplify operations and greatly reduce the risk of problems, said Zachary Henry, a communications strategist for Aurora Water working on the reservoir project. The southern site also would not require the creation of a new quarry for dam materials, minimizing environmental impacts.

But there’s one complication: People live on the 1,700 acres of land the utility needs for the reservoir.

“This was not an easy decision for us, even though all the engineering and costs led to this site,” Young said. “We really struggled with this decision because of the residents living down there.”

Several hundred people own land in the planned reservoir’s footprint, but only seven of those properties include a habitable residence — including the Kimbroughs’, Young said.

The city has already purchased several properties that were for sale in the area and is working with other landowners who would rather sell now than wait. Aurora water officials are talking with the remaining owners to determine the best way forward without resorting to eminent domain to seize the land.

“We have a lot of time,” said Lyle Whitney, a project manager with Aurora Water who has overseen communication with landowners. “We don’t want to rush; we want to make it right.”

The utility’s leaders want to offer landowners deals that are as good or better than their current situation, Whitney said.

Aurora Water officials acknowledged the uncertainty the reservoir plans created for landowners in the footprint. They have had multiple conversations with the Kimbrough family to find solutions.

“I understand his desire for stability and peace up there, and we’re trying to do right by them,” Henry said.

Loss of stability

But up in South Park, Kimbrough once again is struggling to sleep at night.

He lies in bed and runs the numbers: how much they might get for their land, what that money could buy elsewhere, whether they could afford the property tax there.

Kimbrough received an honorable medical discharge from the Army in 2006 after serving three years and deploying during the Iraq War to Baghdad, where he and held multiple forward operating bases. During his service, he suffered two traumatic brain injuries — one during a training exercise when his parachute malfunctioned, and the second when rocket-propelled grenades exploded just feet from a Humvee he was leaning halfway out of.

After his discharge, he returned home to the Denver area and enrolled at Metropolitan State University, where he met Sarah. But he struggled to find stability and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Four times, he was admitted to emergency mental health services.

South Park was his escape.

And now, learning that he and his family might have to move from the land they poured thousands of hours into has been crushing, he said. Kimbrough has spent much of his time working on the property, but now the remaining projects — landscaping, finishing the basement — seem pointless to pursue.

The couple planned very carefully so that they could afford to own a house and raise a family on their budget. They worry that fair market compensation for their modestly valued property in a remote valley would not be enough to buy a home elsewhere.

Even if Aurora were to acquire a larger or more expensive home for them, they worry they would not be able to afford the property tax on Kimbrough’s fixed disability income.

“I don’t think Aurora has the same ideas of what people value as what my family values,” he said. “We don’t value quantity and bigger houses — we value quality time and living within our means.

“We’re very happy out here in the middle of nowhere, without electric bills and water bills and huge property bills.”

The permitting for the reservoir is in early stages, and construction on the dam won’t begin until 2028 at the earliest, Young said. After the dam is complete, it will take several more years to fill the reservoir. The project is expected to cost more than $1 billion, she said.

The amount of time before the water flows is little comfort to the Kimbroughs. The family hired an eminent domain attorney to prepare — a large, unexpected expense. It’s one of the expenses they .

“It����ap really hard, personally, to have gone to war for this country,” Kimbrough said, “and then have the Aurora government come and rip out every bit of stability from under my feet.”

Here are 8 moments that helped define Denver’s pop culture profile this year.

Andrea Gibson, memorialized

Former Colorado Poet Laureate Andrea Gibson finally received some of the mainstream acclaim they deserved thanks to the documentary “Come See Me in the Good Light,” a nuanced look at terminal illness produced in part by former Denver resident, comedian and actor Tig Notaro. While Gibson collaborated on the award-winning doc, they died on July 14 — exactly four months before the film hit streaming services. It stands as a testament to hope and love in the face of staggering suffering and loss. — John Wenzel

‘South Park’ redux owns the airwaves

After more than 25 years on the air, comedy cartoon “South Park” debuted its latest season in July, generating headlines and increased viewership in the U.S. and beyond for its skewering of the Trump administration — which even responded to some of the show’s barbs. Created by Colorado natives Trey Parker and Matt Stone (owners of Casa Bonita and creators of “The Book of Mormon”), the Colorado-set “South Park” also featured Denver as the backdrop for some of the federal government’s recent actions, including immigration enforcement and deportations. — Tiney Ricciardi

Denver’s ‘Love is Blind’ makes history — in a bad way

The Mile High City got its moment on Netflix’s national stage when the popular reality dating show “Love is Blind” came to town, although it wasn’t all sunshine and wedding bells. Denver made history as the series’ first franchise to produce zero successful marriages. —����.��.

Colorado-shot movies

This year included the family drama with a $15 million budget, “The Man Who Changed the World” (which was shot along the Front Range), and the already-released “Rebuilding,” a drama starring in-demand actor Josh O’Connor that was shot in the San Luis Valley, and which examines the complicated aftermath of a wildfire. That follows late 2024’s “Elevation,” shot in Boulder and Golden and starring Anthony Mackie (the MCU’s new Captain America), plus several other titles that bode well for the future of Colorado’s still-developing film industry. —����.��.

The Oscars, and Colorado creatives

Colorado-reared filmmakers and subjects helped fuel some of 2025’s most visible titles, including Scott Derrickson’s sci-fi-romance hybrid “The Gorge,” Rian Johnson’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” screenwriter Nora Garrett’s “After the Hunt,” and the John Elway documentary which just premiered on Netflix. At the Academy Awards, the Best Picture, Best Director and Best Animated Feature nominees were led by Colorado natives, with former Glenwood Springs native Brady Corbet and partner Mona Fastvold winning for Best Original Screenplay for “The Brutalist,” and even more acclaimed, Oscar-nominated titles making a splash at festivals and on streaming (such as “Porcelain War,” “The Wild Robot,” and “Anjua” — all of which were also Oscar nominated but didn’t win). —����.��.

Sundance Film Fest chooses Boulder

A gaggle of grinning politicians and Sundance Film Fest officials in March said the tastemaking industry event would relocate from Park City, Utah, to Boulder starting in 2027. That’s led to lots of preparation and private/public fundraising on Boulder’s part, but also global attention and projected spending that will lift the Front Range city in the lean months of January. —����.��.

Farewell, Bowen Yang

Aurora comedian Bowen Yang’s run on “Saturday Night Live” ended this year on a Dec. 20 episode hosted by Ariana Grande, Yang’s pal and the co-star of the “Wicked” film series in which Yang has a supporting role. The 35-year-old had broken ground in 2019 when he became SNL’s first-ever Chinese-American cast member, and the first-ever Chinese-American nominated for an acting Emmy. His sharp yet malleable presence will be sorely missed on a show that’s going through a major cast transition. —����.��.

Concerts writ large

The Front Range has long been a top concert market, and it only got bigger during this up-and-down year for the industry. As ticket prices and fees continued to rile fans, Empower Field at Mile High hosted massive events such as a two-night run from Metallica, and Denver’s own The Lumineers with Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. In Boulder, Folsom Field welcomed its first July 4 run from Phish, and Paul McCartney played a shockingly great set at Coors Field. With Red Rocks Amphitheatre’s calendar already filling up and new venues such as Project 70 debuting in Denver, there’s plenty to look forward to in 2026. —����.��.

The duo recently spoke with The New York Times about the , which has reflected many events in the news cycle through a comedic cartoon lens. That includes the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainments happening across the country, statements from the Federal Communications Commission chairman, and most recently, the .

The show’s creators said part of that is simply due to the fact that the line between politics and pop culture has never been blurrier.

“It����ap not that we got all political,” Parker told the Times. “It����ap that politics became pop culture.”

The show’s skewering of the Trump administration has turned “South Park” into “a surprising voice of the resistance and catapulted the show back into relevance,” the publication said. Though its ratings may be higher for this season than previous ones, it����ap worth noting this is nothing new for Parker and Stone, who grew up in Colorado and now own the legendary Casa Bonita restaurant.

The franchise may have started more than 25 years ago by chronicling the hilarious and often crass journey of four elementary school students from Parker and Stone’s home state. But it has also long played on current events to offer viewers the chance to laugh at what����ap actually happening in the world.

In 2004, for example, “South Park” featured a hot political debate between as the show’s main characters sought to make the case for why the candidate they backed was the better choice. The episode aired the week before the 2004 U.S. presidential election, in a not-so-subtle nod to the match-up between George W. Bush and John Kerry.

Giant Douche and Turd Sandwich were again revived in 2016 as nicknames for two presidential candidates running for election: Mr. Garrison, whose spray tan and demeanor seemed a whole lot like Donald Trump, and Hilary Clinton.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, “South Park” released “The Pandemic Special” that reflected what was happening in the news, such as the struggles of virtual and in-person education, the reckoning around police brutality, and the cannabis industry’s banner sales year.

Parker and Stone said that they thought about avoiding the recent MAGA movement, but ultimately couldn’t.

“It����ap like the government is just in your face everywhere you look,” Parker told the Times. “Whether it����ap the actual government or whether it is all the podcasters and the TikToks and the YouTubes and all of that, and it����ap just all political and political because it����ap more than political. It����ap pop culture.”

That was even true within the walls of their workplace. Comedy Central, the network that airs “South Park,” is owned by Paramount, which earlier this year merged with Skydance Media in a deal that both impacted the show’s ability to air and needed approval from the Trump administration. Paramount also owns CBS, which canceled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in a move that many believe was executed to appease regulators.

That inspired Parker and Stone to make the season 27 premiere show explicitly that they maintained independence, they said. For those who missed it, the storyline revolved around Trump and his “teeny tiny” manhood. It also mentioned Colbert and the Paramount-Skydance deal.

“South Park” is in the midst of airing new episodes. The next is expected to drop on Nov. 12, but if recent history is any indication, that could change – and not because Parker and Stone are getting censored. Read the .

The strike ended after both the actors union and the restaurant����ap management agreed to enter mediation and hash out the details of the union’s first contract, according to a statement by the Actors’ Equity Association, which represents the actors. The bargaining unit includes 57 performers who serve as roving actors, puppeteers, cliff divers, magicians and more at the pink palace.

“Casa Bonita is pleased that Actors Equity members will be returning to work as scheduled,” the restaurant����ap management said in a statement to The Denver Post.

Casa Bonita workers voted to unionize in November 2024 as they sought better pay and to establish workplace protections. Casa Bonita serves thousands of diners each week and actors previously detailed several incidents involving guests that had staff concerned for their safety. In September, the union filed an unfair labor practices charge after performers’ hours were cut to accommodate a Halloween pop-up event.

“We never wanted to strike to begin with, but Casa Bonita management forced our hand,” said Sam Bishop, a puppeteer at Casa Bonita who serves on the negotiating team, in a statement. “We can’t wait to return to work so we can resume bringing our guests the unique experience they expect and deserve from their visits.”

Casa Bonita is a beloved Lakewood restaurant and entertainment venue, as well as a historic landmark. It originally opened in 1974, but ownership filed for bankruptcy in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic. The venue was later purchased by “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who were both raised on the Front Range. The duo spent a reported $40 million to renovate the restaurant, which reopened to much fanfare in 2023.

There will be no cliff divers entertaining guests at Casa Bonita on Halloween as the restaurant����ap cast of performers initiates a three-day strike.

On Wednesday, the Actors’ Equity Association announced that Casa Bonita’s divers, magicians, roving actors and other unionized performers would picket outside the pink palace, at 6715 W. Colfax Ave. in Lakewood, following unsuccessful efforts to bargain their first contract. The strike is scheduled to take place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 30 through Nov. 1.

Casa Bonita workers voted to unionize in November 2024 as they sought better pay and to establish workplace protections. The restaurant and entertainment venue is a beloved historic landmark and in 2023, reopened under the ownership of locally raised celebrities Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The creators of the “South Park” TV show reportedly spent $40 million reviving the restaurant after purchasing it out of bankruptcy.

Casa Bonita serves thousands of diners each week and actors previously told The Denver Post there have been numerous incidents involving guests that had staff concerned for their safety.

The bargaining unit of 57 people has been engaged in negotiations since April, according to the Actors’ Equity Association, and last month, it filed an unfair labor practices charge after performers’ hours were cut to accommodate a Halloween pop-up event.

Now, the union says management failed to deliver responses to key proposals that would move toward a contract. In a statement, Casa Bonita management said, “We value all of our team members and their well-being. As a policy we do not comment on ongoing labor negotiations.”

“Casa management came to the table today offering an additional 11 cents over their last unfair wage offer, and very little for future layoff protections,” said lead negotiator Andrea Hoeschen, assistant executive director and general counsel for Actors’ Equity Association, in a statement. “Despite that insult, the negotiating team responded with major compromises to try to get a deal. And then Casa Bonita walked away from the table without responding.”

Casa Bonita addressed the dispute in an email to people with reservations, confirming the restaurant would remain open and offering a free drink or arcade credit to guests.

CORRECTION at 6:57 p.m. on Oct. 29: An earlier version of this story misstated the dates for the proposed strike.

Every episode of “South Park” opens with a disclaimer: “All characters and events in this show — even those based on real people — are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated … poorly. The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone.”

While some of that language must be required by an exhausted legal team behind the scenes, the long-running satirical cartoon is known for pressing hot-button topics and rapidly churning out searing parodies. Season 27, which premiered in July, is no exception, focusing on President Donald Trump, his associates, policies and other current events. Some members of Trump’s Cabinet have been outspoken about their likeness appearing in “South Park,” but others have shrugged it off. Over the years, the animated series has depicted conservatives and liberals alike, leaving almost no public figure, politician or activist shielded from critique or crude depiction.

‘South Park’ lays into FCC chair over freedom of speech in new episode

This season has had an unusual cadence of episodes, with the first two arriving on a weekly schedule, then biweekly before the arrival of Episode 5, which aired three weeks later on Wednesday. The delayed episode arrived after the shooting death of conservative activist , whose debate style was depicted in the Episode 2. However, “South Park” creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone told the Denver Post the delay was unrelated to recent events, like Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, or the content: “No one pulled the episode, no one censored us, and you know we’d say so if true.” The pair had  on Sept. 17 saying the episode wasn’t finished in time. Future episodes will air every two weeks through Dec. 10.

Here is a guide to every parody and reference so far on this season of “South Park.”

‘Sermon on the ‘Mount,’ Episode 1

Cutting funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Cartman is dismayed to find out National Public Radio has lost its federal funding after he tunes in to hear static — an NPR program is his “favorite show,” he says, where “all the liberals b— and whine about stuff.” He rants to his friends about how the government “can’t cancel a show” and wonders what might be next on the chopping block.

In July, the Senate voted to approve the Trump White House’s proposal to  previously allocated for public broadcasting. NPR and PBS are  despite the funding cuts, but layoffs and reduced programming are expected.

Christianity in public schools

Head of South Park Elementary PC Principal, whose name was a play on the initialism for politically correct, announces to the school that his name now stands for “Power Christian Principal.” He holds an assembly where he says that “our Lord and savior Jesus Christ” is the only thing that can bring back some normalcy to these “corrupt times.” He proceeds to welcome Jesus to the assembly as a guest speaker. When the students go back home, their parents and the people of South Park are alarmed to hear about the emphasis on Christianity — and the presence of Jesus — in the town’s public school.

Trump has previously endorsed  in classrooms amid a push to incorporate .

‘Woke is dead’

The phrase frequently used by Trump was inscribed on a T-shirt Cartman wears after he realizes the concept of  is no longer prominent. “Everyone hates the Jews, everyone’s fine with using gay slurs,” he says, lamenting that he no longer feels purpose if there’s no wokeness to contest.

Karoline Leavitt

�ճ����White House press secretary is depicted corralling the president, sporting a large cross necklace, as she often does during press briefings. Leavitt tells Trump a lot of his supporters are starting to turn against him and begs him to talk to them, adding that they’re “really riled up.” Trump’s base has  over the administration’s approach to sharing information about the Jeffery Epstein case after he promised more transparency about the convicted sex offender, who died by suicide in 2019, and the sex trafficking investigation involving the late financier.

President Trump

Trump appears this season with an image of his face over an animated body, frequently repeating the phrase “Relax, guy” and threatening lawsuits against anyone who’s in his way. He is shown berating a White House portrait painter for an unflattering depiction of him and there are references to the size of the president����ap genitalia. He’s also depicted as being in an abusive relationship with Satan — in which Trump is the abuser. “South Park” has previously depicted Satan as being the victim in an abusive relationship with Saddam Hussein.

The Epstein list

Satan laments the speculation that Trump’s name is on the “Epstein list,” a purported list of his alleged clients. In reality, the Justice Department has said no such list exists, walking back comments Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi made in a Fox News interview earlier this year that the list was  in preparation for release. When the list is brought up in the series, fictional Trump says, “Are we still talking about that?,”  he made in real life.

CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ and Paramount drama

The stopwatch featured in the introduction to “60 Minutes” is strapped to a bomb when it appears on “South Park.” The hosts of the show are visibly nervous and continue praising the president while covering his lawsuit against the town of South Park, adding that they don’t agree with Trump’s detractors.

The scene references the legal tussle between Trump and Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, which airs “60 Minutes.” The president sued over edits to a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which led to Paramount agreeing to pay  the lawsuit in July; shortly after, the Federal Communications Commission, led by a Trump appointee, approved .

Between the settlement and merger approval, CBS announced it is canceling  Colbert frequently skewers the president on his show, and Trump . Paramount also recently bought the global streaming rights to “South Park” in a  for Parker and Stone.

During the episode’s fictitious “60 Minutes” segment over Trump’s lawsuit against the town, Jesus comes to visit the townspeople. Through whispers, he tells them, “I didn’t want to come back and be in the school, but I had to because it was part of a lawsuit and the agreement with Paramount.”

“The president����ap suing you?” a protester asks.

Jesus, through clenched teeth, explains: “The guy can do what he wants now that someone backed down. … You guys saw what happened to CBS? Well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount! You really want to end up like Colbert? You guys gotta stop being stupid. … 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.”

“All of you, shut the f— up or South Park is over!” Jesus says.

The people of South Park end up settling their lawsuit with the president for $3.5 million, saying it will be fine as long as they cut some funding for their schools, hospitals and roads. And as part of the settlement, they have to agree to “pro-Trump messaging.” Cut to a live-action deepfake video of Trump trekking through the desert in a show of loyalty to his supporters before he strips naked.

‘Got a Nut,’ Episode 2

[Note: This episode aired on Aug. 6, more than a month before political commentator Charlie Kirk, who is parodied throughout the episode, was shot and killed.]

ICE recruitment and immigration raids

This episode is focused on the ongoing raids carried out across the country by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security officials since earlier this year.

When South Park Elementary counselor Mr. Mackey is fired — the government is doing away with needless spending in schools, he’s told — he signs up for a job with ICE, enticed by a generous signing bonus and a higher salary. Mackey watches a promotional video, complete with animations of officers wearing gaiters and a theme song: “We don’t ask for experience, just show up/ We don’t care if you’ve read a book or grown up/ If you’re crazy or fat and lazy, we don’t care at all … If you need a job, it����ap a job to have.”

Mackey is hired with alarming speed and proceeds to go on his first raid, targeting a “Dora the Explorer” live show, which has a not-so-intimidating audience of young children and abuelitas. After ICE agents hear from protesters that there are “many Latinos in heaven,” they make the pearly gates their next stop.

Kristi Noem

�ճ����Department of Homeland Security secretary leads ICE agents through a series of raids this episode, but she first appears in an orientation video. She tells the new recruits, “A few years ago, I had to put my puppy down by shooting it in the face because sometimes doing what����ap important means doing what����ap hard,” and she proceeds to going on a shooting spree targeting yelping puppies (including Krypto the ) throughout the episode. In her 2024 book, Noem wrote about how she  for exhibiting aggressive behavior.

She’s also seen rounding up as many immigrants as possible in raids, shouting orders like, “If it����ap brown, it goes down.”

And in a running gag, her face periodically melts off, requiring a glam squad equivalent to a pit crew, and at one point, it seems to take on a life of its own. Trump also says her face “freaks me out” during the episode.

Noem responded to the depiction on , calling it “lazy” to target her looks. “If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that, but clearly they can’t, they just pick something petty like that,” she said.

Right-wing debate podcasts

While conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk does not appear as a character in this episode, his style of debate content — and his name — are featured.

Loudmouthed Cartman is frustrated that so many others, namely his classmate Clyde Donovan, are profiting off of “his shtick” of arguing against liberal views.

Clyde has a debate podcast, inviting viewers to watch as he “totally destroys these woke liberal students.” He’s set up in a tent on a college campus where he waits as a line of students come to speak with him, and he challenges them to “prove me wrong.” Cartman eventually takes over, saying that he is the “master debater” and sporting a haircut similar to Kirk’s. He shuts down his opponents’ arguments with phrases like, “You just hate America and you love abortions.”

Clyde and Cartman’s content replicates Kirk’s well-known style. The founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA frequently toured college campuses and hosted events just like the one depicted in the episode. The phrase “prove me wrong” was used frequently by Kirk to promote his events, inviting students to challenge his political and cultural views.

On Sept. 10, Kirk was shot and killed while hosting such an event at Utah Valley University, the first stop of his “American Comeback” tour. Weeks before he was killed, Kirk responded to the episode with a , finding it humorous.

“I think a lot of it was hilarious towards me,” he said. “Some of it was very funny and I don’t think we should have too thick of skin.”

He also touched on the reach of his organization and events, noting that his name is enshrined in “The Charlie Kirk Award for Young Masterdebaters” that Cartman and Clyde compete for in the episode. “So a campus thing I’ve been doing for 13 years to debate random college kids has now been so important that it gets prominent prime-time placement on Comedy Central?” he asked through laughs. “I think the whole thing is just awesome and hilarious.”

Mar-a-Lago

When Mr. Mackey is rewarded for good work as an ICE agent, he’s flown to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, where he frequently stays and hosts events.

He’s greeted by giggling women who hand him a drink and put flower leis around his neck before the president meets him and gives him a brief tour of Mar-a-Lago. While there, Mackey accidentally walks in on two older men receiving massages from younger women, one of whom is a tearful Dora, detained in the raid that took place earlier in the episode. The scene is likely a reference to Epstein and accounts from survivors who say they were forced to give massages to him and his associates. Trump said this summer that Epstein  who worked at the Mar-a-Lago spa, which caused them to have a falling-out.

JD Vance

The vice president is depicted as a version of Tattoo, the character from late-’70s drama “Fantasy Island,” and is animated similarly as Trump, except the photo used for his face is lifted directly from  He often does the president����ap bidding, calling him “boss.” In turn, Trump frequently calls Vance “stupid.” Acknowledging the caricature, Vance , “Well, I’ve finally made it.”

‘Sickofancy,’ Episode 3

Immigration raid at cannabis farm

Randy’s hemp farm business, Tegridy Farms, is the site of an immigration raid at the the beginning of this episode. While Randy is shooting a commercial, complete with calming guitar music and a trite script, ICE officers interrupt by detaining almost all the workers. “You sons of b—,” Randy screams after the vans as they drive away. “Those are my Mexicans!”

In July, chaotic  growing site and greenhouse in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties drew national attention after a man who was fleeing immigration officials .

Microdosing ketamine

With his business in shambles, Randy rethinks his strategy with the help of an over-complimentary AI chatbot. Perhaps in a nod to Trump’s former ally and onetime “special government employee” Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman behind Tesla, SpaceX and X, Randy turns to ketamine. Randy insists a slew of “tech guys” are taking small doses of ketamine and the drug “gives their minds the edge to work with AI.” Ketamine “bolsters our focus and creativity,” he tells his partner Towelie. Under the influence of the drug, Randy transforms Tegridy Farms from a “quaint farm” into an “AI-powered marijuana platform for global solutions.”

 of ketamine and other drugs has been previously reported, with the tech leader saying in a  that ketamine has been prescribed to him and is “helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind.” He has denied abusing it. “If you use too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done. I have a lot of work, I’m typically putting in 16-hour days,” he said. “So I don’t really have a situation where I can be not mentally acute for an extended period of time.”

Musk supported Trump’s campaign and served as an advisor to the president, helming the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year with the goal of slashing spending.

Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook

Meta and Apple chief executives  and Tim Cook, who were both present at Trump’s inauguration and have maintained  with him, are both portrayed in this episode as members of a long line outside of the Oval Office waiting to bestow a gift on the president.

“Mr. President, your ideas for the tech industry are so innovative,” Cook says to Trump. Cook gives the president a gift on behalf of Apple, which  this summer. Zuckerberg is later seen giving the president a gift that appears to be a gold and bejeweled Meta virtual reality headset.

Luxury jet from Qatar

Qatar’s leader is also seen in line holding a model gold plane with a tag that says “Air Force One.” Like everyone else, the leader compliments the president and insists his genitalia is not small before giving him the gift. Trump and the Defense Department accepted a  from Qatar for President Trump to use as Air Force One this summer, despite ongoing questions about the ethics and legality of taking the expensive gift from a foreign nation.

Washington, D.C.

When Towelie takes a trip to the capital in this episode, he sees armed troops guarding monuments like the Washington and Lincoln memorials and the Capitol surrounded by tanks and jets. In the episode, the Lincoln Memorial has been replaced by a statue of a stern-faced Trump with exposed genitalia.

In August, Trump called up  to assist federal law enforcement in his bid to “reestablish law and order” by targeting criminals — though crime has been down in the city — and the homeless. Although troops were not initially armed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later ordered them to .

Reclassifying marijuana

Randy sends Towelie to meet with Trump and give him a gift in hopes of persuading him to reclassify marijuana on the national level. (The gift is Towelie himself.) Randy, in the form of a hologram, tells Trump he thinks they can work out a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Trump said in an August press conference that his administration was considering , which would be a significant change in policy but would not make the drug legal across the country.

‘Wok is Dead,’ Episode 4

Tariffs and Labubus

The clerk at the City Pop-Up — rebranded from City Wok — the lone purveyor of  in the area, says the popular dolls are hard to keep in stock, and they’re very expensive because of tariffs. The “mystery box” that Butters has to purchase for the chance of getting the exact Labubu his girlfriend wants sets him back $85, and later, the price shoots up to $120 to offset a rise in tariffs. (The real-life dolls often fetch much more than that on resale sites, especially if they are rare.) When Butters balks at the price, the store owner explains that the cost of tariffs is passed onto the customer.

Fox News

This episode shows a clip from a Fox News segment where an anchor is overly complimentary of the president. The anchor says the president will take questions from a “diverse crowd of reporters” after returning to the U.S. from a historic tariff summit, only to reveal all of the reporters are from Fox.

�ճ����Fox News reporters also fixate on President Trump’s relationship with his wife, Melania, and his increasingly frequent appearances with Satan. There’s a heavy use of wordplay that suggests the anchors could be asking about the affair between the president and Satan or about whether Trump is actually the devil himself.

Kid Rock

Fox News reporters check in with Trump ally Kid Rock after breaking the news that — buckle up — Trump has impregnated Satan. A sobbing Kid Rock tells the reporters, “I’m just so happy.” The musician is a , having performed at his inaugural rally in January and spoken many times publicly about his support of the president.

‘Conflict of Interest,’ Episode 5

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Kyle becomes irate when his classmates place bets on a popular market prediction app that his mother would “strike Gaza and destroy a Palestinian hospital.”

This episode marks the first time this season that the show has touched on the current conflict in Gaza, and it referenced real-life  in the area.

Donald Trump Jr.

Trump’s eldest son appears in this episode as someone with many roles — he’s a strategic adviser for predictive markets, he answers the phone for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and also acts as a special adviser to Israel. Although he wears all those hats, the series doesn’t portray him as particularly bright — he has a complete conversation over the phone with himself.

He’s also animated to look as if he’s had extensive plastic surgery and he speaks with a strained voice, as if he can’t move his face.

Trump Jr. holds several key roles in his family’s business and his father’s political sphere in real life, and he serves as an adviser to both Polymart and Kalshi, two prediction market apps that are named and spoofed in this episode.

Trump’s stance on abortion

Less keen on the baby he’s expecting with Satan, Trump looks for different ways to harm the pregnancy in hopes of terminating it. He asks Satan if he wants to smoke and hang out in a hot tub, holds up a wire hanger, tries to get him to trip down the stairs or fall under a pile of cat feces, and even makes Satan a soup full of emergency contraceptive pills.

In reality, Trump has repeatedly shifted his  but has most recently said he believes specific abortion policies and access should be decided not by federal law but by individual states.

Brendan Carr

�ճ���� comes into the fold this episode when Kyle goes through several hoops to try to file a complaint over the bet involving his mom, which he finds offensive. �ճ����FCC is “dealing with all the offensive stuff now,” Kyle is told.

Carr says he needs to speak with the president after learning about the offensive content, but he ends up falling victim to all of Trump’s antics in his attempt to terminate Satan’s pregnancy, which send him to the hospital. The doctors say they’re “afraid he may lose his freedom of speech.”

Vance later threatens Carr, who keeps interfering with Trump’s attempts to end Satan’s pregnancy (Vance doesn’t want anything to mess with his proximity to the presidency). “We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way,” Vance says to Carr.

Those words match the phrase Carr said in real life a week before this episode aired in reference to his call on ABC to act on comments late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made about Kirk’s suspected killer and his death. Carr has remained in the headlines since then as backlash grew against the .

Benjamin Netanyahu

Frustrated by the bet about her and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Kyle’s mom storms into the office of the Israeli prime minister. “Just who do you think you are, killing thousands and flattening neighborhoods, then wrapping yourself in Judaism like it����ap some shield from criticism?” she says. “You’re making life for Jews miserable and life for American Jews impossible.” She continues to berate him and a group of officials while the credits roll. Netanyahu does not say anything in response.

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In their newest episode, entitled “Conflict of Interest,” co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone once again skewer the federal government for its recent actions, this time bringing Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, into the fold.

Carr made headlines last week after broadcast networks ABC and Disney suspended late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for comments its titular host made about the death of media personality Charlie Kirk. (Kirk was notably featured in a previous episode of “South Park” this season.) Many believe the government official pressured the network to take action after an appearance on a conservative podcast, , “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

“These companies can find ways to change conduct to take action on Kimmel or, you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” Carr stated on the podcast.

In the “South Park” universe, President Donald Trump has knocked up Satan (yes, that Satan), and the satirical version of Carr keeps finding himself in the middle of the president����ap plans to secretly “get rid” of the baby. (“I don’t think your followers would be very happy if we got an abortion,” Satan tells the president, hence the need to do it seemingly unwittingly.)

Carr ends up tripping and falling down stairs, eating soup laced with Plan B One Step emergency contraceptive, and getting doused in cat feces, which leads to him contracting toxoplasmosis, a parasite that can be transferred to fetuses during pregnancy. Carr ends up in the hospital and the diagnosis doesn’t look good.

“If the toxoplasmosis parasite gets to his brain,” the doctor warns, “I’m afraid he may lose his freedom of speech.”

It����ap at that point, Vice President JD Vance comes to visit Carr and sinisterly asks him why he keeps foiling plans to get rid of the demon baby.

“I’m next in line to be president. That baby cannot be born,” Vance said. “And if you continue to interfere, I will make things very difficult for you. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”

That wasn’t the only topical event “South Park” touched on this week. “Conflict of Interest” also played on the rising popularity of prediction market apps and looped the conflict between Israel and Gaza, as well as its into the plot. The episode ends with Kyle’s mom chewing out Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his actions in the ongoing war.

The next episode of “South Park” is slated to air on Oct. 15 on Comedy Central, as long as Parker and Stone can get it done in time. It streams the following day on Paramount+.

But co-creator Matt Stone insists that is not the case, even as other shows like “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” are being pulled off the air.

“No one pulled the episode, no one censored us, and you know we’d say so if true,” Stone said in an interview with The Denver Post. “We just didn’t get it done. When you always cut it close, sometimes you mess up. That����ap the price of being a procrastinator.”

After two years off air, “South Park” is in the midst of its highly anticipated 27th season, which has generated buzz for satirical representations of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, among other political figures.

Casa Bonita will host Halloween-themed pop-up in October

In one episode, entitled “Got A Nut,” character Eric Cartman impersonates MAGA activist Charlie Kirk as he “master debates” college students on women’s rights and other issues. That episode was pulled from the show’s cable rotation after Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10, though it is still available to stream on Paramount+.

Because “South Park” often reflects events from politics and pop culture, fans on social media suspected Kirk’s death played a role in the delay. (“It was definitely finished. Just not allowed to air,” one commenter said on .) The decision Wednesday by Disney and ABC to suspend comedian Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show because of comments he made about the incident only added to the speculation.

However, Stone and show co-creator Trey Parker have a famously hasty and chaotic process for developing each episode, chronicled in the aptly named 2011 documentary “6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park.” The newest episode is slated to air on Wednesday, Sept. 24. “It����ap gonna be great,” Stone said.

Stone and Parker, who are both Colorado natives, also own the famous Casa Bonita restaurant. Stone additionally shared details about an upcoming Halloween- and Dia de los Muertos-themed pop-up -- called Casa BOOnita -- that will take over the restaurant in October.