South Park pulls a Trump, to be renamed South America for new season

Kayla McLean · CBC News

· Posted: Sep 09, 2026 2:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

South Park appears to be taking a page out of Donald Trump's book: if you don't like a name, change it.

For its 29th season, the animated satire has announced a new title — and will be now known as South America.

True to the ironic tone the show is known for, the announcement is intended as a direct dig at the U.S. president and his ongoing efforts to rename gulfs, lakes and even states to include America.

"Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA," creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone said in a statement released to several outlets on Tuesday.

"We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation."

That last line carries a little extra bite for a reason: the show's parent company, Paramount Skydance, is owned by David Ellison. Ellison, who denies being a Trump ally, and his father are currently being sued for allegedly making a side deal with Trump to see the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger go ahead.

Trump's efforts to give geographic landmarks an American makeover began early in his second term when he moved to rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America amid escalating trade tensions.

The renaming push has most recently extended to Lake Ontario when he directed the U.S. government to call Lake Ontario Lake America. While some local and international bodies and navigation apps have refused to adopt new names, Apple and Google have faced criticism for going along with the changes on their maps.

• Apple Maps follows Google, changes name of Lake Ontario to 'Lake America'

The South Park announcement comes one day after Trump shared a video on social media, floating the idea that the state of New Mexico could be renamed New America.

Whether South America is simply a temporary bit or a joke the show plans to run with throughout the new season remains to be seen. Either way, it fits neatly with the tone the series has adopted in recent seasons— particularly its frequent mockery of Trump and his presidency.

The Emmy-winning, irreverent comedy series, which first aired in 1997, has repeatedly drawn the ire of Trump, his administration and other MAGA supporters for its boundary-pushing lampooning. The show has depicted, among other things, Trump in bed with Satan and former Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem with a botched, Botox-melting face.

• South Park creators remain defiant, promise more Trump takedowns in new season

Lately the series has been driving its thorn even deeper into Trump's side.

On Monday, the show's official Instagram took another swipe at the president while celebrating its Emmy win for Outstanding Animated Program. The post featured the show's animated Trump character with his pants down holding an Emmy, beneath text that reads: "You finally got your Emmy."

Trump has famously and frequently complained on social media about never winning an Emmy for his reality show The Apprentice, claiming that the awards are rigged.

Season 29 of South Park — er, South America premieres Sept. 16 on Comedy Central, followed by its Canadian debut the next day on Paramount+.