After nearly three decades of calling itself South Park, the hit animated comedy has suddenly adopted a very different name: “South America.”
Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone announced the tongue-in-cheek change this week, turning the title of their long-running Comedy Central series into another joke aimed at President Donald Trump, Apple and Google. The announcement came just days before the show’s 29th season is scheduled to premiere.
The creators made the announcement following the show’s recent Emmy win and used the opportunity to mock the growing list of geographic names that have been changed or proposed under Trump’s administration.
Why Did South Park Become South America?
The joke is built around Trump’s recent push to use more America-focused names for geographic locations.
The Trump administration previously moved to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for U.S. government use. More recently, Lake Ontario was referred to as Lake America following an executive order, while Trump also suggested that the state of New Mexico could be renamed New America in a social-media post.
Apple and Google subsequently reflected the Lake America name in their mapping services for U.S. users.
That gave Parker and Stone an obvious target.
In announcing the change, the creators sarcastically said the show was being renamed “SOUTH AMERICA,” claiming it was inspired by the “bravery and patriotism” of Apple and Google. They also thanked their parent company Paramount with another joke, calling it a “Skydance Capitulation.”
The result is classic South Park: take a political development, push it to an absurd extreme and turn the entire situation into the punchline.
The Apple and Google Joke
Apple and Google are an important part of the gag because their map services have followed some of the U.S. government’s naming changes.
The companies’ handling of Lake America became a particularly easy target for South Park. Instead of simply making another joke about Trump’s naming efforts, Parker and Stone extended the idea to their own television show.
The message is essentially: if geographic names can be changed to include “America,” why not change South Park too?
The creators’ announcement makes it clear that the name change is intended as satire rather than a serious rebranding campaign.
South Park Has Been Targeting Trump for Years
The latest stunt is not an isolated political joke.
South Park has repeatedly used Donald Trump and his administration as material for its satire. The show’s recent episodes have included particularly direct references to Trump, continuing the series’ tradition of turning controversial political figures into exaggerated cartoon characters.
That approach has attracted both attention and criticism, but political satire has been part of South Park’s identity since the show debuted in 1997.
The latest name change arrives shortly after the series won the Outstanding Animated Program Emmy for its episode “Sermon on the ‘Mount.” The award gave Parker and Stone another reason to celebrate while taking another shot at Trump.
Paramount Gets Its Own Joke
Trump and the technology companies are not the only targets.
The creators also took a swipe at the show’s corporate parent, Paramount, by referring to it as a “Skydance Capitulation.”
That joke points to the complicated corporate changes surrounding Paramount and Skydance. South Park has also been affected by the changing media landscape, with Paramount+ holding the show’s global streaming rights under a major deal.
Rather than ignoring those changes, Parker and Stone have turned them into material for the show itself.
When Does South Park Season 29 Premiere?
Despite the new “South America” name, fans will not have to wait long to see the next season.
Season 29 premieres Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central. New episodes will also become available on Paramount+ the following day in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Comedy Central has also announced additional episodes for September 30, October 14, October 28 and November 11, with the season continuing into November.
Whether “South America” remains the show’s name for the entire season is another question. Parker and Stone have joked that they are “100% committed” to the new name, but given the show’s history of trolling audiences, it is probably wise not to take everything literally.
A Perfect South Park-Style Promotion
The “South America” stunt works because it combines several things South Park is known for: political satire, pop-culture commentary, corporate jokes and deliberately ridiculous humor.
Instead of simply commenting on Trump’s naming controversies, Parker and Stone have inserted their own show into the debate.
For viewers, the timing is especially effective. The joke arrives just before Season 29, following an Emmy win and amid continued political controversy.
Whether fans call it South Park or “South America,” the creators have once again found a way to make the show’s title itself part of the joke.
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