(The Hill) — Paramount’s new CEO David Ellison praised “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker for being “equal opportunity offenders,” as the animated program recently drew attention for mocking President Trump.
“Matt and Trey are incredibly talented,” Ellison noted in an interview with CNN published on Friday. “They are equal opportunity offenders and always have been.”
On Thursday, Paramount and Skydance completed their $8 billion merger after extensive discussions, bringing “South Park” alongside properties like CBS and MTV under Ellison’s leadership.
Earlier Paramount proprietors consented in early July to contribute $16 million to the president’s future presidential library following Trump’s lawsuit over a “60 Minutes” segment featuring former Vice President Harris.
“South Park” has not hesitated to criticize the present administration and its approaches, taking shots at Trump, Vice President Vance, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem.
The latest episode, “Got a Nut,” mocked Noem’s appearance and satirized immigration raids executed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In response, Noem said the show’s depiction of her was “lazy,” arguing it was a pattern of making fun of women for “how they look.”
The White House has also previously fired back at “South Park,” claiming the show has been irrelevant for over two decades.
Ellison on Thursday said that he was not involved with CBS’ settlement.
“I do not want to politicize our company in any way, shape or form,” Ellison told CNN when asked if he agreed separately to broadcast causes that are aligned with the current administration.
