South Park Changes Name to South America
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
South Park has renamed itself "South America" in a satirical dig at President Donald Trump, mirroring his real-world order to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" after trade talks between the US and Canada broke down. Apple Maps and Google Maps both updated their listings to reflect the joke, extending it into everyday digital infrastructure and underlining the show's continued willingness to mock the president directly, even as parent company Paramount navigates a sensitive period following its merger with Skydance.
In a statement, the show's creators sarcastically praised Apple and Google for their "bravery and patriotism" and took a pointed swipe at Paramount, calling it a "Skydance Capitulation". The stunt capped a productive, if one-sided, creative relationship between Trump and South Park, which won an Emmy over the weekend for its latest season satirising the president — an award the show's team also framed, at least on social media, as one shared with Trump himself.
- Sources
- 7
- Outlets
- 7
- Left · Centre · Right
- 0 · 0 · 2
In short
- South Park "renamed" itself South America, mocking Trump's Lake Ontario order
- Apple and Google Maps both adopted the fictional name change
- Show also won an Emmy for its Trump-focused season
How this story developed
- 2 months ago South Park has "renamed" itself South America in its latest satirical swipe at President Donald Trump, mirroring his real-world order to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" after trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed.
- 2 months ago South Park's creators renamed the show "South America" in a satirical jab at President Donald Trump's real-life directive to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" after US-Canada trade talks collapsed.
- 2 months ago South Park has renamed itself "South America" in a satirical dig at President Donald Trump, mirroring his real-world order to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" after trade talks between the US and Canada broke down.
- 2 months ago South Park's creators have renamed the show "South America" in a satirical response to President Donald Trump's real-life order to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America" after trade talks between the US and Canada broke down.
- 2 months ago South Park has renamed itself South America, a satirical stunt aimed at President Donald Trump's real-life order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America after trade talks between the US and Canada collapsed.
- 2 months ago South Park has renamed itself South America in a satirical stunt mocking President Donald Trump's real-life order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, after trade talks between the US and Canada broke down.
- Deadline ‘South Park’ Skewers Trump — And Paramount — With Name Change To ‘South America’
- IGN South Park Trolls Trump, Google, and Apple With Official Season 29 Name Change
- The Hollywood Reporter ‘South Park’ Is “Changing Its Name” to ‘South America’ for Season 29 to Mock Trump
- The Hill 'South Park' jabs Trump after Emmy win, changes name to 'South America'
- Polygon South Park Creators Reveal Official New Name for South Park
- Consequence South Park Changes Name to South America
- Daily Mail South Park pans Trump yet again with mocking name change ahead of season premiere
Full account
The satirical animated series South Park has renamed itself South America, in a stunt its creators say was inspired by the recent renaming of Lake Ontario. The change, announced by Trey Parker and Matt Stone as the show prepares to launch its 29th season, has been reflected by Apple Maps and Google Maps, both of which recently updated their listings for the Great Lake at the request of the Trump administration.
The move follows President Donald Trump's decision to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, an order that came in the wake of a breakdown in trade negotiations between the United States and Canada. Reports note this sits within a wider pattern of the president seeking to rename buildings, waterways and other landmarks during his second term, one outlet also observing that a US state has reportedly been targeted for a similar change. Technology firms Apple and Google are said to have adjusted their mapping services in response to the lake's renaming.
In a statement announcing the switch, the South Park team said they were following the example set by Apple and Google, thanking them for their 'bravery and patriotism', while pointedly also thanking Paramount, the show's parent company, referring to it as 'a Skydance Capitulation' — an apparent swipe at the recent Skydance takeover of the media group. The gesture continues what has become a running satirical exchange between the show and the president since its return, one that has proved commercially and critically fruitful for the programme even as it repeatedly mocks its subject.
The announcement comes shortly after South Park picked up an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Programme for its latest season, much of which lampoons Trump directly; the show shared news of the win on social media alongside the president. The new season is set to premiere on Comedy Central on 16 September at 10pm ET, becoming available on the Paramount+ streaming service the following day. Coverage of the announcement has also noted a lively public reaction online, including tongue-in-cheek suggestions that Parker and Stone should seek political office, alongside more sceptical responses to that idea.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
One source frames the renaming primarily as the latest instalment in an ongoing, near-adversarial creative rivalry between Trump and South Park, using pointedly irreverent language to describe the show's patriotic framing, and links the Lake Ontario order directly to the collapse of US–Canada trade talks.
The other source situates the story within a broader account of Trump's habit of renaming buildings, bodies of water and even a state, and is more precise in confirming the trade dispute involved Canada; it also provides fuller production detail — the show's 29th season, the Comedy Central premiere date and time, and next-day Paramount+ availability — plus additional colour on the Emmy win and reader reaction, including calls (and pushback) for Parker and Stone to enter politics.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Defenders of the stunt see it as sharp, legitimate satire in a long tradition of political comedy holding power to account, using absurdity to expose what they view as an equally absurd real-world act of renaming a lake for nationalistic effect. They argue that mocking a sitting president's decisions, however good-natured the personal rapport, is a healthy exercise of free expression and that South Park has always thrived on this kind of topical, irreverent commentary regardless of who is in office. For them, the joke's cleverness lies precisely in mirroring the original gesture so closely, letting the absurdity speak for itself rather than lecturing the audience.
The case against
Critics who take a more sympathetic view of the administration might argue that reducing a genuine policy dispute, the breakdown of US-Canada trade talks, to a flippant renaming gag trivialises a serious matter and reflects the entertainment industry's broader tendency to treat this president as a punchline rather than engage with the substance of his positions. They may feel that such stunts, dressed up as even-handed satire, actually skew one-sided in practice, reinforcing a cultural consensus among media and creative elites rather than genuinely challenging power on all sides. From this perspective, the joke's virality says more about industry groupthink than about the merits of the underlying dispute.
Explained simply
South Park is the long-running American animated comedy created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, known for using crude, exaggerated satire to comment on current events and public figures, including US presidents. It airs on Comedy Central and is now part of Paramount, which recently merged with the studio Skydance. The show's current season has repeatedly targeted President Donald Trump, even though the two have also had a surprisingly friendly public relationship at times.
The renaming stunt is a direct parody of a real move by the Trump administration to rename Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes bordering the US and Canada, as "Lake America." That decision came after trade negotiations between the US and Canada broke down, and was framed by officials as a patriotic gesture. South Park's mock rebrand to "South America" copies that same patriotic framing, mimicking the language used to justify the original change.
This matters because it shows how satirical entertainment can respond almost immediately to real political decisions, blurring the line between commentary and spectacle by involving real companies like Apple and Google, whose map services were used as part of the joke. It also comes shortly after the show won an Emmy award, adding extra attention to its ongoing comedic feud with Trump.
Coverage · 7 sources
Bias meters
From 2 rated sources, 5 unrated.
- ConsequenceSouth Park Changes Name to South America
- Deadline‘South Park’ Skewers Trump — And Paramount — With Name Change To ‘South America’
- IGNSouth Park Trolls Trump, Google, and Apple With Official Season 29 Name Change
- The Hollywood Reporter‘South Park’ Is “Changing Its Name” to ‘South America’ for Season 29 to Mock Trump
- The HillRight'South Park' jabs Trump after Emmy win, changes name to 'South America'
- PolygonSouth Park Creators Reveal Official New Name for South Park
- Daily MailRightSouth Park pans Trump yet again with mocking name change ahead of season premiere