When South Park returned after a two-year hiatus, Trey Parker and Matt Stone could have played it safe. They could’ve relaxed; they could’ve taken a rest. Instead, they brought one of the show’s most iconic dynamics–Satan’s dysfunctional homoerotic love life–back to life and castDonald Trump’s photorealistic likeness as none other than the Prince of Darkness’ new beau. Now, that creative gamble has paid off.
Parker has earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for portraying Satan in South Park‘s season 27 premiere, “Sermon on the ‘Mount,” one of television’s most talked-about episodes of the past year. The nomination was announced Tuesday as part of the 78th Emmy Awards, where Parker will compete against performances from Pamela Adlon, Julie Andrews, Hank Azaria, Matt Vogel, and Steven Yeun.
The episode marked South Park‘s most direct satirical assault on Trump to date. Rather than simply parodying the president as an ill-fated leader of Canada or a spray-tanned Mr. Garrison, as they had done before, Parker and Stone echoed one of the series’ most memorable storylines from the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Saddam Hussein was depicted as Satan’s manipulative boyfriend.
Related Video
“Sermon on the ‘Mount” revives one of South Park‘s most infamous relationships, swapping Saddam Hussein for Trump without changing the role. The implication was clear: Parker and Stone cast the president in the same mold as the former Iraqi dictator, portraying him as a narcissistic strongman whose endless appetite for attention, sex, and validation makes him less fearsome than ridiculous.
The jabs didn’t stop there, extending beyond Trump himself. Jesus also appears, warning the town to stop criticizing the president lest they “end up getting sued,” an unmistakable jab at Paramount following its settlement with Trump. The episode then pushes the satire even further, ending with a live-action-style public service announcement in which a nude, deep-faked Trump wanders the desert urging everyone to “relax” as the camera repeatedly lingers on his comically tiny penis. Airing as Paramount finalized its merger with Skydance, the episode quickly prompted a furious response from the White House, which dismissed the show as irrelevant.
Parker and Stone responded in proper South Park fashion. When asked about the backlash during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con the following day, Parker deadpanned, “We’re terribly sorry,” before holding an extended, awkward stare that made it clear exactly how sincere the apology was.
Beyond Parker’s individual nomination, “Sermon on the ‘Mount” is also nominated for Outstanding Animated Program, while the episode’s “Christian Woman” earned a nomination for Outstanding Original Music & Lyrics. Should Parker or the series take home a trophy, it would mark South Park’s first Emmy win since 2013. Over the course of its nearly 30-year run, the series has collected five Primetime Emmy Awards, all for Outstanding Animated Program.
South Park is still doing what it has always done best: finding the line people are afraid to cross, then sprinting through it. Whether viewers found “Sermon on the ‘Mount” hilarious or appalling, the episode reaffirmed that the series remains one of television’s most dangerous satirical voices–and one whose willingness to challenge power feels more necessary than ever.
South Park returns for its 29th season on September 16th, premiering on Comedy Central with new episodes streaming the following day on Paramount+.