Bill Hader Recalls South Park Creators’ Inspiration for “Fishsticks” Episode That Mocked Kanye West: Watch
Bill Hader has recalled how South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone developed the 2009 “Fishsticks” episode, which satirised Kanye West. Speaking at their Television Academy Hall of Fame induction, Hader said the story began with the writers watching salmon swim upstream to mate during a retreat in Seattle.
The group turned a crude discussion about fish into Cartman’s “fishsticks” joke and chose West as the celebrity character most likely to take it seriously. In the episode, West insists he is not a “gay fish” before embracing the idea in an exaggerated musical sequence; the real West later responded angrily in a rap.
- Bill Hader explained the origins of South Park’s “Fishsticks” satire.
- The writers’ retreat in Seattle inspired the episode’s fish-based joke.
- Kanye West reacted angrily after the episode aired.