In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination, the reaction from conservatives has sparked a heated debate surrounding the role of satire in comedy, particularly focusing on the animated series South Park.
MAGA Blames ‘South Park’ for Charlie Kirk Assassination
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, some conservatives are pointing fingers at South Park for mocking the conservative thought leader in a recent episode. While Comedy Central pulled the episode from a scheduled repeat Wednesday night and will not be airing it in its linear rotation.
Episode Overview
The second episode of the current season of Comedy Central’s satirical hit — titled “Got a Nut” — featured Eric Cartman becoming a right-wing podcaster, echoing tropes used by Kirk, who tours college campuses debating progressive students. “Who wants to debate the master debater?” demanded Cartman, who also mimicked Kirk’s hairstyle and later attended a ceremony giving out “The Charlie Kirk Award for Young Masterdebaters.”
Reactions to the Episode
The mockery was relatively tame by South Park standards, certainly kinder than its treatment of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem in the same episode. After the episode aired, Kirk seemed thrilled and posted a TikTok reacting to it, calling it “hilarious” and noting “South Park gets this right.” He added, “We have a good spirit about being made fun of. This is all a win. We as conservatives have thick skin, not thin skin, and you can make fun of us and it doesn’t matter.”
However, following Kirk’s tragic murder at Utah Valley University while engaged in the same type of college campus debate the episode satirized, some MAGA conservatives are criticizing the show.
Criticism from Conservatives
According to the New York Post, one Turning Point USA staffer posted on Telegram, “Comedy has consequences. Charlie was targeted in the culture before he was targeted in real life,” while right-wing radio host Jesse Kelly told his listeners: “South Park thought it was funny to turn Charlie into a cartoon joke. Now his wife is planning a funeral.”
Some social media comments echoed similar sentiments: “Let’s blame South Park. Blame the media. Blame leftist rhetoric. These people hate you and want to see you dead.” Others stated, “South Park certainly fomented the hatred necessary to get Kirk assassinated.”
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On the other hand, many on the right — perhaps even the majority — quickly noted they do not blame the series, with one “MAGA” labeled X account stating, “I don’t blame South Park. They aren’t our leaders, representatives, mentors, pastors, example setters, or societal caretakers. They are satire!”
Comedy Central’s Response
Comedy Central had no comment on the scrapped repeat, and the episode remains available on Paramount+ and Hulu. Pulling episodes that unintentionally intersect with a violent real-life tragedy is a common practice to avoid inflaming the situation. Some episodes of South Park have been permanently pulled from distribution due to controversial content.
Future of the Series
Given South Park has been targeting President Trump and MAGA this season, and frequently pivots to tackle current events, it will be interesting to see what creators Parker and Stone focus on when the show returns next week amid its new biweekly rollout schedule.
On a Reddit thread about the episode being pulled, fans agreed that not airing it was “the polite thing to do,” while also concurring that South Park doesn’t deserve blame for the real-life violence. “Probably a smart decision, no matter your feeling on him; don’t give either side reason to exploit this,” wrote one user.
The 31-year-old Kirk built a small conservative student group into America First — one of the most influential forces in Republican politics. Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political organization when he was shot. A single shot rang out, and Kirk could be seen reaching for his neck. The gunman is still at large.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika and family. Charlie, we love you!”
