POP CULTURE HIT

‘South Park’ Breaks New Record After Brutal ICE Barbie Episode

The episode depicted Noem as an over-Botoxed ICE agent obsessed with striking camera-ready poses while detaining anyone who’s Latino.

South Park keeps reaping rewards from trolling the Trump administration.

The latest episode, which brutally mocked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, drew the biggest audience share in South Park’s 28-year history, CNN reported, citing a statement by Comedy Central.

In a TV landscape packed with hundreds of viewing options, nearly 16 percent of all people watching cable last Wednesday tuned in to the animated satire.

Season 27’s second episode ranked as the most-watched show on all cable channels on its debut day and marked South Park’s highest rated episode since 2018.

Including Paramount+ viewers, the episode pulled in an audience of 6.2 million in its first three days. By comparison, the season’s record breaking premiere drew 5.9 million cross-platform viewers.

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Coming off that opener, which featured a depiction of President Donald Trump’s micropenis, many viewers likely tuned in expecting another gleefully crass takedown of the Trump camp. They got exactly that.

The episode “Got a Nut” depicts Noem as an over-Botoxed ICE agent obsessed with striking camera-ready poses while arresting anyone who’s Latino.

When told that “many Latinos are in heaven,” she orders a raid on the afterlife. “Remember, only detain the brown ones! If it’s brown, it goes down!” Noem shouts as angels scatter in panic.

The show also parodies her infamous anecdote about shooting her 14-month old dog, escalating it into a full-blown puppy-killing spree.

After the episode aired, the homeland security secretary lashed out by declaring South Park “lazy” and whined that “only the liberals and the extremists” make “fun of women for how they look.”

The show’s creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, responded with an “bonus” scene that showed her massacring a pet store full of puppies.

Meanwhile, DHS has offered little comment beyond one statement it released after the episode, in which it thanked South Park for drawing attention to ICE recruitment, along with a corresponding X post.

Vice President JD Vance, humiliated as Trump’s manbaby minion in the episode, took a different approach and tried to get in on the joke.

“Well, I’ve finally made it,” he wrote alongside a screenshot of his cartoon likeness.

After the season opener skewered Trump, the White House fumed, “This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years.”

Judging by the numbers, however, South Park is still a pop culture powerhouse.

The show took yet another hiatus from releasing a new episode this week, instead airing fan-favorites of the past.

BRB

Why ‘South Park’ Is Skipping Another Week

Eboni Boykin-Patterson

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