South Park is officially changing its name to SOUTH AMERICA for the upcoming 29th season, a move creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are framing as a satirical jab at tech companies and U.S. President Donald Trump. The new season is set to premiere on Comedy Central on Wednesday, September 16.
In a statement released by the show's creators, they explained the decision: “Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount -- a Skydance Capitulation.” This statement directly references recent events where Apple and Google altered map data in response to directives from President Trump.
Earlier this month, Apple renamed a portion of Lake Ontario to "Lake America" on its Maps application, following a request from Trump as part of a trade dispute with Canada. Google made a similar adjustment for its U.S. users, which reportedly sparked public backlash. Videos generated by AI and shared on social media by Trump depicted him altering signage for Lake Ontario to "Welcome to Lake America." The notes also mention a past instance where Google re-designated the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" in 2025, leading to a lawsuit from Mexico.
Season 29 is slated for a six-episode run, with new episodes scheduled to release bi-weekly: September 30, October 14, October 28, November 11, and November 25. This follows seasons 27 and 28, which each concluded after five episodes. The creative process for South Park episodes is notoriously rapid, with Parker and Stone often producing them on a week-by-week basis. This allows for timely commentary on current events but has occasionally led to production delays. The creators have previously acknowledged missing deadlines, citing the last-minute nature of their work.
Parker and Stone have a substantial deal with Paramount, which includes delivering 50 new episodes over five seasons and producing at least 10 South Park episodes annually. Their willingness to tackle controversial subjects and satirize political figures, including President Trump, has been a hallmark of the show. A previous season opener that heavily satirized Trump reportedly drew a response from the White House.