“Woke is dead,” declared Eric Cartman, in the much-anticipated return of South Park on Wednesday. The popular cartoon show is back on television following a two-year hiatus beset by contractual negotiations with the series’ parent company, Paramount. Having finally secured a sizable $1.5 billion deal with the media conglomerate, firebrand comedians Matt Stone and Trey Parker began season 27 with an episode entitled “Sermon on the Mount.” No punches were pulled. The writers sardonically skewered Paramount, openly daring them to cancel the show. We should expect no less from our favorite satirists.

Some important context: In July 2025, Paramount Global (owner of CBS and Paramount+) agreed to pay President Donald Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over a deceptively edited 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris. Days later, CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert —a program that had long abandoned comedy in favor of running public relations for Democrats and was reportedly bleeding $40 million a year— just after Colbert mocked the settlement on air. The timing sparked (delusional) conspiratorial claims of political appeasement, as Paramount sought regulatory approval for a prospective merger.