Following the controversial episode that targeted President Donald Trump, South Park has experienced a significant 258 percent increase in streaming popularity.
The episode, titled ‘Sermon on the Mount’, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, satirically targeted the US president in an unexpected manner.
In a much-discussed scene, the Republican leader shares a bed with Satan, saying: “Come on Satan, I’ve been working hard all day.” The devil retorts: “You haven’t been working! You’ve been doing your stupid memes and just f**king around.”
The animated Trump character then pulls down the blanket, adding: “Come on Satan, you know you can’t resist this!” Satan notices the comically small size and responds: “I can’t even see anything, it’s so small.”
This shocking joke has significantly boosted South Park’s popularity. According to new data from JustWatch, the series has seen a 258 percent increase in streaming interest.
South Park has climbed to the top spot, surpassing popular shows like Netflix’s Untamed, The Osbournes, and Amazon’s The Summer I Turned Pretty.
The large surge came just 24 hours after the premiere of South Park’s 27th season, which included the episode featuring the Trump joke.
Unsurprisingly, the episode was not well-received by officials in the White House.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers told Rolling Stone: “The Left’s hypocrisy truly has no end – for years they have come after South Park for what they labeled as ‘offensive’ content, but suddenly they are praising the show.
Rogers continued: “Just like the creators of South Park, the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows. This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.
“President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country’s history – and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump’s hot streak.”
South Park co-creator Parker addressed the controversial episode at San Diego’s Comic-Con International during a Comedy Central animation panel last week. In typical South Park style, he simply said, “we’re terribly sorry,” followed by a long, deadpan-comic stare.
The comedy show is not the only media causing irritation for the White House lately. The View’s Joy Behar has also faced criticism from the administration after making comments about Trump being ‘jealous’ of Barack Obama.