‘South Park’ Goes After Elon Musk in New Season

[ad_1] The trailer for Season 27 of South Park has been launched, and the animated satirical sitcom seems to have a brand new goal: Elon Musk.

Newsweek has reached out to X exterior of regular working hours through e-mail for remark.

Why It Issues Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and a detailed ally of President Donald Trump, has develop into an more and more distinguished determine in each U.S. and world politics. He was appointed by the president to guide the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) and has used his platform, X (previously Twitter), to amplify right-leaning political viewpoints and causes.

"South Park" nonetheless from 1988, Elon Musk carrying a cheesehead hat on the KI Conference Middle on March 30, 2025 in Inexperienced Bay, Wisconsin. "South Park" nonetheless from 1988, Elon Musk carrying a cheesehead hat on the KI Conference Middle on March 30, 2025 in Inexperienced Bay, Wisconsin. Scott Olson/Getty Photographs He has quickly develop into one of the distinguished members of the Trump administration however has confronted vital backlash and criticism. Based on latest polling, his approval score not too long ago dropped to its lowest recorded score, and Tesla has misplaced greater than one-third of its worth within the first quarter of this 12 months.

What To Know "Instances have modified," a voice declares at the beginning of the South Park trailer, and viewers are then given a glimpse into the upcoming season, with a rapid-fire montage of what is in retailer.

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The trailer exhibits Canada going to warfare with the U.S., France taking again the Statue of Liberty, and quite a few planes crashing, because the present continues its custom of tackling topical information, turning up the dial on the unhinged and absurd.

One explicit storyline glimpsed within the trailer seems to take intention at Elon Musk.

The character of Randy Marsh is depicted utilizing and discussing ketamine, first asking his daughter within the trailer, "Shelly have you ever been taking ketamine? As a result of I feel it might actually assist you," after which telling his spouse, Sharron "I am simply going to do some ketamine and f*** round with the federal government a bit of."

The scene clearly seems to reference Musk not solely resulting from his public acknowledgment of utilizing prescribed ketamine, but in addition in connection along with his distinguished position main the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE). Critics have speculated about Musk's ketamine use, although he has been open about receiving the remedy beneath the supervision of a licensed doctor. The reference to "messing round with the federal government" seems to function a satirical nod to Musk's high-profile and infrequently controversial authorities position working with the Donald Trump administration.

In 2024, Musk spoke to the journalist Don Lemon about his use of ketamine. He mentioned "There are occasions when I've a kind of a... unfavourable chemical state in my mind, like despair I assume, or despair that is not linked to any unfavourable information, and ketamine is useful for getting one out of the unfavourable body of mine," he advised Lemon on the time.

He additionally mentioned that he has a prescription for the drug from what he described as an "precise, actual physician."

First authorized by the FDA as an anesthetic again in 1970, ketamine is a dissociative drug. Research have discovered that, when utilized in low doses, the drug could be efficient in treating despair, with the FDA approving a nasal spray known as esketamine as a protected despair remedy again in 2021.

This isn't the primary time that Musk has been talked about on South Park.

In 2016, he appeared as himself in two episodes of the present's twentieth season: "Members Solely" and "Not Humorous." He voiced himself on this episode, which is uncommon for South Park the place nearly all of real-life figures are parodied by the present's creators.

Musk was referenced once more within the present's most up-to-date season, Season 26, which aired in 2023. This time, he was voiced by another person.

What Individuals Are Saying Elon Musk, chatting with Don Lemon in 2024 about ketamine utilization: "In the event you use an excessive amount of ketamine, you may't actually get work achieved. I've a number of work, I am usually placing in 16-hour days... so I do not actually have a scenario the place I could be not mentally acute for an prolonged time period."