Satirical title change

The creators of South Park announced on 9 September 2026 that the animated television comedy will adopt the name South America for its upcoming 29th season. Matt Stone and Trey Parker unveiled the change across social media accounts by sharing an image of the fictional Colorado town's roadside sign with the word Park replaced by America. The social media profile for the series on X was updated immediately to display the new title. The first episode of the new season is scheduled to broadcast on 16 September 2026. The creators have not specified whether the title change will remain permanent throughout the run or serve as a storyline device for the season premiere. The announcement specifically targets recent geographic renaming directives issued by US President Donald Trump.

“Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA.”

Trump's geographic orders and international pushback

The satirical rebrand follows a sequence of federal executive actions aiming to insert the word America into established geographic features. Donald Trump signed an executive order in August 2026 directing federal agencies to refer to Lake Ontario as Lake America. The move drew formal resistance from Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, who stated that the lake would retain its original name then, now and always, while Ontario Premier Doug Ford erected a 12-foot sign on the lake shore reaffirming the Lake Ontario designation. In 2025, Trump ordered the Gulf of Mexico renamed to the Gulf of America, prompting the Mexican government to reject the unilateral modification of shared international waters. On 6 September 2026, Trump shared an artificial intelligence video proposing to rename New Mexico as New America.

Tech compliance and corporate targets

The creators also directed their satire at technology corporations and their own media parent company. Both Apple Maps and Google Maps updated their cartographic services to display Lake America and Gulf of America for users located within the United States. In their public statement, Parker and Stone sarcastically described parent corporation Paramount as a "Skydance Capitulation." The remark referenced corporate consolidation within the entertainment sector, including Paramount's planned $111 billion merger with Skydance and Warner Brothers. The merger was delayed to June 2027 after 12 US states filed lawsuits citing competition concerns, following an earlier $16 million settlement between Paramount and Trump related to CBS News coverage on 60 Minutes.

Emmy victory and history of parody

The renaming follows South Park winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program on 6 September 2026, marking its fifth win in the category. The production team marked the award by publishing an image of Donald Trump holding the Emmy statuette in his underwear, alongside the caption that he had finally received the television award. South Park, which debuted in 1997, has frequently parodied Trump across his two presidential terms, including earlier seasons where the character Mr. Garrison stood in for him. During the 27th season, the show depicted Trump in bed with Satan in the episode Sermon on the Mount, prompting the White House to denounce the series as a fourth-rate program hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas. The 29th season begins broadcasting on 16 September 2026.