Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s legendary show has sparked countless controversies.
South Park is a truly iconic animated TV show that is notorious for its unapologetic mockery of whatever people are currently buzzing about. Despite sparking numerous controversies and irritating many individuals over the years, the show is still alive and well, having lasted an astounding 26 seasons and already renewed for one more.
Let’s revisit five of South Park’s most scandalous episodes.
S09E12 – Trapped in the Closet
The Church of Scientology is known to be very sensitive to criticism, so it’s all the more impressive that the South Park creators didn’t pull any punches.
In the episode, the plot revolves around the then-popular theory that Tom Cruise — probably the most famous Scientologist of all time — is gay. The episode also includes a summary of the Church’s key concepts, hilariously captured ‘This is what Scientologists actually believe.’
S07E12 – All About Mormons
Poking fun at another religious group, South Park portrayed Mormons as almost suspiciously perfect. When a Mormon family moves into town, Stan Marsh becomes increasingly involved with them.
While the satire wasn’t as direct as it was with Scientology, the creators still highlighted some questionable aspects of the religious practice.
S06E14 – The Death Camp of Tolerance
The LGBTQ+ community hasn’t been exempt from the show’s mockery. When Mr. Garrison discovers that he can sue the school if he’s fired for being gay, things quickly get out of hand.
With the help of Mr. Slave, he indulges in some, let’s say, inappropriate activities in front of the kids, but it all leads to some unforeseen consequences.
S10E03 & 4 – Cartoon Wars
The plot of the two episodes in Season 10 revolves around an episode of another animated show, Family Guy, that featured Prophet Muhammad.
As a result of the irreverent depiction of the prophet, there were petitions to ban South Park altogether, and when the episode aired on Comedy Central, the scene with Muhammad was censored.
S23E02 – Band in China
In the Season 23 episode, the creators went full force to mock Chinese censorship. And it looks like they didn’t mind the consequences, as the Chinese government decided to ban the whole show in their country.
