The creators of South Park have raged against a “s—show” merger that is delaying the release of the show’s new season.
The season 27 premiere, originally slated for July 9 on Comedy Central, has been pushed back two weeks to July 23. In a social media post, the masterminds behind the animation let their feelings be known.
“In response to the press release from Comedy Central about the change in premiere date for South Park Trey Parker & Matt Stone said—This merger is a s***show and it’s f***ing up South Park,” they wrote.
“We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow.”
The merger the writing duo referred to was the deal between media company Skydance and Paramount Global, which is expected to be closed by July 6.
— South Park (@SouthPark) July 2, 2025
It comes after Parker and Stone accused incoming Paramount president Jeff Shell of interfering in contract negotiations with potential suitors Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix, as the show’s contract with Paramount comes to a close, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Via an attorney, the pair accused Shell of sticking his oar in “to benefit Paramount at the expense” of their entertainment company, Park County. They highlighted alleged attempts by Shell to modify the terms of any deal, like urging Warner Bros. to give Paramount+ exclusive streaming rights to episodes. They also claimed that Shell tried to shorten the terms of the deal, from 10 to five years.
In response to a cease and desist from Parker and Stone, Skydance said it “has the right to approve material contracts.”
Antitrust laws say that the merger must be finalized before Skydance can issue directives, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Afshin Beyzaee, general counsel for Park County, previously said that the David Ellison-led firm went “behind the back” of Parker and Stone’s company.
He added: “That self-dealing would have been absolutely restricted if it were done by Paramount itself. So, it is simply outrageous that even before it has been granted the authority to close the merger with Paramount, Redbird and Skydance are jumping the gun and using confidential information of SPDS to purport to make demands on behalf of SPDS that even Paramount has no right to make.”
The matter is complicated by the fact that the show’s creators have a joint venture with Paramount called South Park Digital Studios, which owns the streaming rights to South Park.
Paramount, meanwhile, wants to extend its $900 million overall deal, which has two years left.
Paramount Global will pay $16 million to Donald Trump’s presidential library to end his $20 billion lawsuit over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris.
The company announced the settlement just before midnight on Tuesday, hours ahead of Paramount’s shareholder meeting.
Paramount stipulated that the settlement “does not include a statement of apology or regret.”
Skydance and Paramount have been contacted for comment.
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