South Park season 27 returned for a second episode that again did not pull punches when covering the Donald Trump administration – and saw millions tune in.
The target of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s satire the second time around was largely Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, 53, as well as Vice President JD Vance, 41.
The episode, Got A Nut, featured Noem shooting dogs dead, when she’s not imprisoning immigrants through the government’s ICE programme.
It’s now been confirmed that the episode out-performed the season opener in its first three days, averaging 6.2million global viewers across Paramount+ and Comedy Central.
The episode scored the highest South Park linear ratings since 2018, according to Variety.
It comes after the season’s premiere episode caused an almighty stir over its depiction of President Donald Trump as a litigious sex pest who was in a relationship with Satan – this storyline also continued into the second episode – displaying cartoon depictions of his nude body several times.
Noem has now been given similarly scathing treatment on the show, as a bulletproof vest-clad animated version of her in seen pursuing Dora the Explorer, while the episode also riffs on the former South Dakota governor’s 2024 admission that she once killed her own dog.
In her book (deep breath) No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward, Noem detailed killing her wirehaired pointer Cricket one day during hunting season and used the account to show her willingness to do things that are ‘difficult, messy and ugly’ in politics.
South Park’s animated Noem says in the episode: ‘A few years ago I had to put my puppy down by shooting it in the face, because sometimes doing what’s important means doing what’s hard.’
Noem is also portrayed as heavily Botoxed, with her facial features often inadvertently drooping downwards. In one scene from the long-running no-holds-barred comedy, her face starts to crawl around the floors of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. (Yes, really.)
When Metro contacted the US Homeland Security for comment regarding the episode, assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin told us in a statement: ‘We want to thank South Park for drawing attention to ICE law enforcement recruitment.’
Who is Kristi Noem?
Noem is the eighth person to hold her position at Homeland Security and was previously South Dakota’s first ever female governor.
On the Homeland Security website she is described as: ‘A South Dakota native, Secretary Noem is a rancher, farmer, small business owner, and proud mother and grandmother.’
Dubbed ‘ICE Barbie’, she has defended US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and has carried out Trump’s hardline immigration agenda.
The 53-year-old was a strong contender to be named as Trump’s running mate in last year’s US election, before Vance took the spot.
This was around the time that Noem was sued by a consumer advocacy group for promoting a cosmetic dental company who she said had fixed her teeth, without disclosing she had a financial relationship with the company.
McLaughlin’s statement then urged ‘patriotic’ watchers of the show to join ICE and help deport people from the country, listing a number of benefits.
Also featured is Vice President JD Vance as a small manbaby with a memified inflated face, towed along in cut-out Trump’s wake as the President insults and belittles him.
At one point, Trump kicks small-sized Vance off screen, as if he were a football.
The new episode aired after the official Homeland Security X account posted a screenshot from the South Park teaser, using it as a recruitment advertisement with a link to join the law enforcement agency.
The official South Park X account responded to the post, asking: ‘Wait, so we ARE relevant?’ Their reply referenced the White House’s response to the first episode of this season, in which they claimed the show was ‘fourth-rate’ and no longer had any cultural capital.
South Park fans would beg to differ, as many took to social media to hail the second episode as an instant classic.
@mmpadellan posted a series of fire emojis, declaring: ‘These guys are NOT holding back.’
@harpforcongress added: ‘I have been watching South Park since 1997. I have never seen them bury someone the way they buried Kristi Noem tonight. Trey and Matt are laser focused on the entire GOP. Buckle Up!’
‘South Park truly never misses! Thank you Matt Stone & Trey Parker!!!’ wrote @TheAliaLink.
A version of this article was originally published on August 8.
South Park season 27 episode 2 is available on Paramount+ in the UK.
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