In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination, a faction of conservatives has begun to direct blame toward the satirical juggernaut *South Park*, accusing the show of mocking the conservative thought leader in a recent episode. Comedy Central subsequently pulled the same episode from a scheduled repeat airing on Wednesday night, with sources indicating that the channel will not be featuring the episode in its linear rotation for the foreseeable future (although, as of Thursday morning, the episode remained accessible on streaming platforms).
The second episode of *South Park*'s current 27th season, titled "Got a Nut," features Eric Cartman assuming the role of a right-wing podcaster, parroting phrases and tropes frequently used by Kirk, who is known for touring college campuses to debate progressive students. "Who wants to debate the master debater?" Cartman demands, mimicking not just Kirk's rhetoric but also adopting his hairstyle. The episode further satirizes Kirk by depicting a ceremony where "The Charlie Kirk Award for Young Masterdebaters" is presented.
By *South Park*'s notoriously sharp standards, the mockery was relatively tame—certainly more benign than its portrayal of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the same episode. Following the episode's airing, Kirk himself appeared delighted, posting a TikTok video in which he called the episode "hilarious" and acknowledged, "*South Park* gets this right." The founder of Turning Point USA 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, after Kirk’s tragic murder at Utah Valley University during one of the very campus debates the episode lampooned, some MAGA conservatives have lashed out at the show. 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." 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."
*The Daily Beast* highlighted additional social media comments: "Let’s blame *South Park*. Blame the media. Blame leftist rhetoric. These people hate you and want to see you dead." Another comment read, "*South Park* certainly fomented the hatred necessary to get Kirk assassinated." One popular account, Johnny MAGA, went so far as to label *South Park* "monsters" for the episode.
That said, many on the right—perhaps even the majority—were quick to clarify that they do not hold the series accountable, indicating that the impulse to criticize the show has not been universal. One "MAGA" labeled X account wrote, "I don’t blame *South Park*. They aren’t our leaders, representatives, mentors, pastors, example setters, or societal caretakers. They are satire!"
Comedy Central offered no comment regarding the scrapped repeat, though the episode remains available on demand via Paramount+. The rationale behind the decision to halt the episode's cable airing while retaining it on streaming is rooted in the idea that viewers must intentionally choose to watch the episode on demand. In contrast, on cable, there's a possibility that viewers passively watching Comedy Central might inadvertently encounter the Kirk-related content, which some may find unsettling.
Pulling episodes that inadvertently coincide with violent real-life tragedies is a common practice, seen as a respectful measure to avoid inflaming or appearing to capitalize on a sensitive situation. Over the years, a few other *South Park* episodes have been permanently removed from distribution due to controversial content.
On a Reddit thread discussing the episode's removal, fans generally agreed that not airing the episode was "the polite thing to do," while also concurring that *South Park* does not 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. Another opined, "You really can’t fault them for not predicting this; I don’t think anyone could have predicted this series of events with him literally talking about gun violence as he was being shot."
Given that *South Park* has been on a rampage this season, targeting President Trump and MAGA, and frequently adapting its episodes to address current events at the last minute, it will be intriguing to see what creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone focus on when the show returns next week amid its new biweekly rollout schedule this season.
Kirk, 31, transformed a small conservative student group into America First—one of the most influential forces in Republican politics. He was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political organization when the shooting occurred. Immediately before the attack, Kirk was addressing an audience member's questions about mass shootings and gun violence. A single shot was heard, and Kirk could be seen reaching for his neck with his right hand. The gunman remains at large.
