A small moment in South Park‘s season premiere has fans wondering if its creators are anticipating the end.
The 27th season premiere of the long-running animated series made a big splash online for taking a swing at President Donald Trump. One notable viral scene had him flashing around a tiny penis, threatening to sue everyone, and literally climbing into bed with Satan.
But it was a quieter moment at the end of the show that caught some folks’ attention once the chaos had calmed down.
The last scene features Cartman and Butters sitting in a car. Butters says, “I think I might be going.” The credits roll, over which Cartman agrees, “Sweet death is about to come.”
As the names of creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone flash on the screen, Cartman adds, “I love you man.”
Is South Park ending?
There’s no proof yet that South Park might finally be coming to a close after nearly 30 years on the air. In fact, the show just signed a $1.5 billion deal with Paramount+ that grants the platform global streaming rights for five years and promises 10 new episodes of the show per year.
The reason fans think that might change is tied up in the premiere’s brazen mockery of President Trump.
Although South Park is known for making fun of everyone and everything, tensions are currently high considering the unceremonious cancelation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. Many, many people have speculated CBS canceled the highest rated late night show over Colbert’s recent criticism of their parent company—Paramount—coming to a $16 million settlement with Trump in what some experts called a baseless lawsuit.
Colbert speculated on air that Paramount did so as a bribe to get the Federal Communications Commission to approve an $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance. On July 24, just one week after Colbert’s cancelation was announced, the merger was approved.
If speculation is correct and Paramount did bend a knee to Trump and cancel Colbert to stroke his ego and grease the wheels for this merger, it doesn’t bode well for the future of other shows or people under the Paramount umbrella who similarly use their platform to say things that enrage the fragile president.
South Park fans react to the scene
Although fans are hopeful the new contract means the show is safe for now, it’s understandable that they might be nervous—and why they might read into a scene like this as Parker and Stone bracing for the potential end.
The White House has already issued a statement lashing out at South Park for its depiction of Trump, which is an insane thing to have to type. But Parker and Stone, to nobody’s surprise, have made it fairly clear they remain unbothered.
So we’ll see what comes next, but don’t expect them to tone it down, no matter how many future Paramount mergers might be at stake.
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