Colbert Cheers South Parks Wild AI Trump Satire

Colbert Finds Hope in Controversial Satire

Following the explosive Season 27 premiere of South Park, which took aim at both Donald Trump and its parent company Paramount, late-night host Stephen Colbert found a renewed sense of optimism. During a recent episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the comedian praised the cartoon's use of a nude AI deepfake to depict Trump, especially in light of the former president's recent executive orders to deregulate artificial intelligence.

“And I completely agree with this one,” Colbert joked in his opening monologue. “Because if the government interfered with private AI, innovators at South Park wouldn’t be able to make important videos like this one. That is a message of hope.”

He drove the point home by displaying a QR code on screen, directing viewers to the controversial scene.

Inside South Park's Scathing Season Premiere

The episode Colbert referenced, titled ‘Sermon on the ‘Mount’, featured a storyline where the townspeople are forced to pay a $3.5 million settlement to a litigious Trump. As part of the deal, they must also produce “pro-Trump messaging” in the form of a PSA. The episode also saw Trump complaining about his depiction in a painting, getting cozy with Satan, and becoming defensive over rumors about his inclusion on the Epstein list.

Season 27 Premiere of ‘South Park’ | Credit: Paramount+

The resulting PSA is presented as a clip from a fictional Deep Fake: The Movie. This satirical ad culminates with a memorable tagline: “Trump: His penis is teeny tiny, but his love for us is large.”

The Un-Shelved Deepfake: A Project Reborn

The idea for a deepfake Trump project is not entirely new for the show's creators. Co-creator Matt Stone had mentioned in 2022 that a project titled Deep Fake: The Movie was “sort of on hold.”

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, co-creator Trey Parker explained the film's concept. “It was about this guy who looked exactly like Trump because we deep fake Trump’s face onto him... it ends up with Trump just naked and getting run through the wringer and everything, and that’s why it was so funny and so timely.”

A Tangled Web: Paramount, Trump, and Late-Night TV

The episode's pointed critique didn't stop with Trump. It also boldly took aim at Paramount over its recent dealings, a daring move considering creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone had just signed a new five-year overall deal with Paramount Global.

This is all set against a backdrop of significant controversy. Paramount is currently under fire for its $16M settlement with Trump and the subsequent, and widely criticized, cancellation of The Late Show. The settlement has even drawn the attention of lawmakers like Elizabeth Warren as potential bribery. Meanwhile, Trump has publicly celebrated the demise of Colbert's talk show, which frequently targeted him with jokes.