A war of words between the creators of “South Park” and the White House has escalated, ironically fueled by a social media post from a U.S. government department. On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security’s official X account used an animated image from an upcoming “South Park” episode to promote recruitment for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an unexpected move that drew a swift and profane response from the famously irreverent show.
The DHS post featured a still from the show depicting cartoon ICE officers, accompanied by a link to a recruitment website offering a potential $50,000 signing bonus. Hours later, the official “South Park” X account reposted the video with the caption, “Wait, so we ARE relevant?” followed by the hashtag “#eatabagofdicks.”
This sharp retort was a direct reference to a statement made by the Trump administration just two weeks prior. Following the show’s Season 27 premiere, which depicted President Donald Trump in a series of compromising and satirical situations, White House Assistant Press Secretary Taylor Rogers dismissed the series. “This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention,” Rogers told reporters. “No fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”
The episode that sparked the initial controversy, titled “Sermon on the ‘Mount,” aired on July 23, 2025, and garnered the show’s highest season-opener ratings since 1999. According to reports, the premiere attracted nearly 6 million viewers across all platforms within three days. The episode featured a parody of Trump in bed with Satan and a live-action public service announcement depicting a naked Trump with a small penis.
In a seemingly contradictory move, a DHS spokesperson embraced the attention from the show’s response to their recruitment post. “We want to thank South Park for drawing attention to ICE law enforcement recruitment,” the spokesperson said in a statement to The Daily Beast, before providing details on job benefits.
“South Park” appears poised to continue its focus on the administration. The upcoming episode, titled “Got a Nut,” is set to feature a parody of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has been nicknamed “ICE Barbie.” Previews show the character Mr. Mackey losing his job as a school counselor and subsequently working as an ICE officer alongside the Noem caricature. The show has a long history of satirizing Trump, dating back to its 2015 episode “Where My Country Gone?,” which parodied his first presidential campaign through the character of Mr. Garrison.
The show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have remained defiant. At a Comic-Con panel following the premiere, Parker responded to the White House’s criticism with a deadpan, “We’re terribly sorry.” Stone added that they had engaged in a four-day negotiation with producers over blurring the depiction of Trump’s penis, ultimately resolving it by adding eyes to make it a “character.”
This public spat unfolds against a complex corporate backdrop. Parker and Stone recently signed a $1.5 billion streaming deal with Paramount Global. The season premiere itself took a shot at the company for its recent $16 million settlement with Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview and the subsequent cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” As the cultural and political lines continue to blur, the feud has, for now, only amplified the show’s reach and reaffirmed its place in the national conversation.
