From religious mockery to celebrity takedowns, South Park has never shied away from pushing boundaries. Join us as we dive into the most shocking, outrageous, and controversial moments that made the show legendary and sparked global debates.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Well go on then, sue me!
00:02We're going to!
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the episodes and storylines
00:08in the small mountain town of South Park that perhaps got more attention from viewers and
00:12critics than the writers would have liked.
00:14Actually it is kind of a big deal Stan.
00:18It may be a mistake but you don't understand how it feels when that word comes up.
00:22Number 30.
00:23Columbus and Native Americans.
00:25Leave it to Randy Marsh to find a way to both evoke laughter and controversy.
00:29Season 21's holiday special found Randy successfully campaigning to have Columbus
00:34Day canceled due to its association with the suffering of indigenous Americans.
00:38Dad, listen, you need to ease off a little here, okay?
00:40Stan, it's not right that people celebrate a man who wiped out millions of people for
00:44his own glory.
00:45The irony, of course, is that Randy was, until recently, a die-hard fan of Christopher
00:50Columbus, something he was trying to overcompensate for.
00:53It doesn't exactly work.
00:55Without the context of the real world, the episode itself can be seen as quite entertaining.
00:59But with that context, some viewers and reviewers questioned its message.
01:04And ultimately, the episode's mixed reception seemed to be split based on how you already
01:09felt about the real-life issues it covered.
01:11You must face who you are.
01:13Stop pretending, Randy.
01:15For once, just allow yourself to feel.
01:19Number 29.
01:20Copyright Infringement.
01:21Here was an episode that satirized the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike.
01:27Not only did we get the best explanation of the strike of the time, we also got to witness
01:31some legendary YouTube viral videos get the South Park treatment.
01:34Oh, I've seen all you guys on the internet.
01:36It was the latter of these that resulted in an attempted lawsuit against Comedy Central.
01:41American singer Samwell tried to claim copyright infringement over the episode's satirical version
01:45of his most notable song.
01:47It was a small blip on the radar in comparison to others on this list, but still noteworthy.
01:52There's more people viewing it!
01:53This is going great!
01:54The case was dismissed, with the judge even claiming the show's parody likely amplified
01:58Samwell's original song.
02:01Number 28.
02:02Muhammad Take One.
02:03Trey Parker and Matt Stone have always made it clear that no one is above being mocked
02:08on their show.
02:08So in 2006, when they wanted to poke fun at Family Guy, they chose to use the religious
02:13figure of Muhammad as their ammunition.
02:15Once again, a cartoon depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad is set to air tonight on
02:21Family Guy.
02:22Oh, Randy, hold me.
02:23This infamous two-part episode speaks to the very nature of how they perceive comedy.
02:28But since depictions of Muhammad are considered blasphemous among Muslims, to show him in
02:32their episode, regardless of context, was going to be a problem for Comedy Central.
02:37The network opted to black out the scene, drawing a line in the sand the writers were
02:41not to cross.
02:42Hey, that wasn't bad at all.
02:44They just showed Muhammad standing there, looking normal.
02:47The episode remains censored to this day.
02:50Number 27.
02:51Garrison's Gender Identity.
02:52In the time since this episode aired in 2005, the opinions around gender-affirming surgery
02:58and gender identity have shifted dramatically.
03:00Hello, everybody!
03:02Would the episode include a storyline about Kyle's father wanting to become a dolphin
03:06if the episode were produced today?
03:08It's hard to say.
03:09But the real controversy here wasn't about Gerald's obsession with a certain marine
03:12mammal.
03:13It wasn't even about Garrison's choice to undergo the surgery.
03:16The part that got folks so worked up was how, during Garrison's operation, the episode
03:20showed real-life footage of an actual gender-confirmation surgery.
03:24You know what?
03:25I'm okay.
03:26The surprising footage caught viewers off guard and left many wondering if such graphic
03:30imagery was really needed.
03:31Even Matt and Trey questioned the choice in their Season 9 mini-commentary on the episode.
03:36Number 26.
03:38Not Marlon Brando.
03:39In this Season 4 episode, Cartman is looking for more mature companions and turns to an
03:45internet chat room filled with older men who are more than willing to become his friend.
03:49I've outgrown all my friends.
03:50I need to meet more mature people, Cloudfrog.
03:54Oh, great idea, Cloudfrog!
03:55I can meet new friends on the internet!
03:57What follows is a series of encounters that highlight both Eric's innocence and the
04:01predatory behavior of these seasoned individuals.
04:04The main plot in this episode is shocking enough without even mentioning Kenny's behavior
04:08over his mother's pregnancy.
04:09What are you doing, Kenny?
04:13Kenny, what are you going to plunge?
04:19Kenny, what the hell are you doing?
04:20The result?
04:21Certain scenes were briefly edited out for syndication in the U.S.
04:25The episode was not syndicated in Italy until three years after the rest of the season originally
04:30aired there, and it was banned in the U.K. by satellite channel Sky One.
04:35Number 25.
04:36Lemmy Wink's debut.
04:37The creators of South Park have often said they don't approach the writing of an episode
04:41specifically with the intent of trying to anger someone, but there are times when you
04:46have to wonder if even that has to be taken with a grain of salt.
04:49You don't say.
04:51Well, thanks, Principal Victoria.
04:53The Death Camp of Tolerance is a season six episode where Garrison is trying to get fired
04:57for being gay in order to sue for millions of dollars in damages.
05:01This translates into scenes that feature some of the most outlandish sexual references ever
05:06seen on the show.
05:07Even so, or perhaps because of this, according to an article by The Daily Telegraph, quote,
05:12some fans still regard it as the greatest episode.
05:16Great job, Lemmy Wink's.
05:17Thanks to you, we are all free.
05:19But your adventures are just beginning, for you are no ordinary gerbil, Lemmy Wink's.
05:24You are the gerbil king.
05:26Number 24.
05:27Stem cell research.
05:28Ever heard the phrase, punch up, not down, when it comes to comedy?
05:32That basically means that comedians should mock those in power, not those with less agency.
05:37Cartman, just stay out of it.
05:39But Daisy, I can't be in your club.
05:40Cartman, trust me, we don't want any part in this.
05:42As mentioned, the makers of South Park consider themselves equal opportunity offenders,
05:47and thus don't abide by such guidelines.
05:49Case in point, when they've taken aim at people with disabilities.
05:52There was the season two episode where two people with disabilities engaged in a physical
05:56confrontation.
05:57Then there was their depiction of Superman actor Christopher Reeve.
06:01During his life, Reeve was a staunch advocate for human embryonic stem cell research as
06:05a possible means of treating his paralysis.
06:08Chris, that's enough.
06:10Hello, Gene.
06:11So good to see you.
06:12You're cured, Chris.
06:13It's time to stop using stem cells.
06:15Stem cell research has made me stronger than I ever thought possible.
06:18Why stop now?
06:19In South Park, he was a villain who made highly questionable dietary decisions,
06:24all in the name of stem cell research.
06:26Number 23.
06:27South Park versus the NCAA.
06:30During the documentary Six Days to Air, Matt Stone brings up a topic about how the NCAA
06:34players were not being compensated for their efforts as part of a collegiate team.
06:38They're playing on ABC on Sunday in front of like 20 million people,
06:43and they can't afford to fly their mom to the game.
06:45This eventually became a South Park episode that focused on Cartman's own athletic talent
06:50organization that also didn't pay its participants.
06:52We're not sure what was more controversial this time around.
06:55The depiction of the contestants alone was far more disturbing than what you want to
06:59see on television.
07:00Yet it went a step further by drawing a comparison to modern-day slavery.
07:04How do we get around paying for our student athletes then?
07:10Look, there are good reasons why our student athletes cannot be paid, young man.
07:15I ain't arguing.
07:16If they got paid, then how'd we make all our money?
07:19Number 22.
07:20Harry and Meghan.
07:21You can call them the Prince of Canada and his wife all you want.
07:24Everyone knew exactly who the show was poking fun at.
07:27For 22 minutes, South Park took everything the public had seen and heard about Prince
07:32Harry and Meghan Markle and turned it upside down.
07:34Hey, you!
07:35Hey!
07:36What are you looking at?
07:37You ever heard of privacy?
07:40What?
07:41The two are shown incessantly complaining about the lack of privacy in their life,
07:44while simultaneously doing anything and everything they can to draw attention to themselves.
07:49After the airing, reports surfaced of a very distraught Duchess of Sussex who was quite
07:54insulted at her depiction, spawning rumors of legal action being taken against the show.
07:58Only time will tell if South Park takes another shot at the royals.
08:02We don't need to be a brand, do we?
08:03Number 21.
08:05School restrictions.
08:06It's easy for parents to associate cartoons with kids TV,
08:09but that reflexive connection has caused some school teachers great alarm.
08:13All right, class, I have your school photos to hand out.
08:15Yes, yes.
08:17Most of them are very nice, but apparently one of you thinks it's fun to spoil their
08:22school pictures and thinks he's a comedian.
08:24That person will be spending the afternoon in the principal's office.
08:27Even recently, education establishments have gone as far as to ban clothing featuring South
08:32Park and its characters, worrying about the influence the show's adult material will have
08:36over students.
08:37Attendees have been asked to turn shirts inside out,
08:40especially prints that displayed some of Cartman's famous vulgarity.
08:43Wardrobe depictions of other shows like Family Guy and The Simpsons have also fallen victim to this,
08:48but Trey Parker and Matt Stone's cultural phenomenon has been high on the chopping block.
08:52While there has been pushback regarding issues of free speech,
08:56the presence of material related to South Park has certainly ruffled some perturbed feathers.
09:01Whatever, whatever.
09:02I'll do what I want.
09:03Number 20.
09:04Kick a ginger day.
09:06South Park aired an episode called Ginger Kids about discrimination against people with red hair.
09:10This disease is called gingivitis, and it occurs because ginger kids have no souls.
09:17When Cartman is tricked into thinking he's become a redhead himself, he leads an uprising.
09:21Just because we have red hair, light skin, and freckles,
09:24we're thought of as somehow less important, and it's bullcrap!
09:27The episode has been blamed for the creation of Kick a Ginger Day in 2008,
09:31which led to schoolyard violence in several countries.
09:35The Royal Canadian Mounted Police even investigated one incident as a hate crime.
09:39This is getting pretty ugly, Tom.
09:41Ed Sheeran criticized the episode, saying it, quote,
09:43ruined his life by popularizing discriminatory attitudes against redheads in the United States.
09:49Number 19.
09:50Indiana Jones.
09:51In the spring of 2008,
09:53Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released to poor fan reception.
09:58Whoa.
10:00Whoa.
10:06Trey Parker and Matt Stone took to South Park to express that disappointment,
10:09in the most vulgar manner possible.
10:12I can't let Spielberg and Lucas get away with it.
10:14Not this time.
10:15Even if I have to do it alone.
10:17Visualizing the idea that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg violated the character,
10:21the episode contains graphic, detailed scenes of the filmmakers
10:26assaulting everyone's favorite archaeologist.
10:28Well, well, Indiana Jones.
10:30You're looking nice.
10:32The scenes parody the likes of Boys Don't Cry and Deliverance,
10:35but some viewers felt pretty sickened.
10:37This river only runs one way, Cap'n.
10:39Times you heard?
10:40Naturally, the episode generated considerable controversy,
10:44with both detractors and defenders.
10:46Number 18.
10:48Attempted ban in Russia.
10:49Back in 2008,
10:50Moscow prosecutors attempted to ban South Park in response to complaints
10:55that it insults religious believers.
11:02The Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith
11:05singled out the episode Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics as particularly offensive.
11:11In Russia, South Park is distributed on the Cartoon Network 2x2,
11:17alongside The Simpsons and Family Guy.
11:19Prosecutors attempted to revoke the network's license,
11:22claiming that these shows, quote,
11:24"...propagandize violence, cruelty, pornography, and antisocial behavior."
11:29I'd say my Christmas special is going super fantastic.
11:33Ironically, they hoped to replace the cartoons with
11:36actual propaganda that would teach children about patriotism instead.
11:40Number 17.
11:41J-Lo parody.
11:42South Park is certainly no stranger to making fun of celebrities.
11:46It's part of the show's bread and butter,
11:47and Hollywood has just gotten used to it over the years.
11:50However, some celebrities take it in stride more than others.
11:53Miss Lopez, come on out here.
11:56Hello!
11:57Back in 2003,
11:58South Park aired an episode called Fat Butt and Pancake Head,
12:02which poked fun at Jennifer Lopez.
12:04Okay!
12:04What smart-mouthed little punk-ass bitch has been saying
12:07they're the new Jennifer Lopez, huh?
12:09According to Trey Parker,
12:11some people on Lopez's movie sets began referencing the South Park episode,
12:15and it irritated the actress so much that she fired them.
12:18Parker later saw Lopez at a party,
12:21and she reportedly pushed past him without saying a word.
12:24I'll stop! I'll stop!
12:26You better stop!
12:27Number 16.
12:28Mexican flag.
12:29The episode Pinewood Derby spoofs numerous world leaders,
12:33including Felipe Calderón, Mexico's 63rd president.
12:37Just a few hours before it was set to air on MTV Latin America,
12:40the network decided not to broadcast it.
12:42One of your poor countries, Mexico,
12:45has built 32 new hospitals and seven water parks in the last four days.
12:50According to them,
12:51the producers did not get permission to broadcast the Mexican flag on television,
12:56which supposedly went against regulation.
12:58However, this explanation was met with widespread skepticism.
13:02All of us other countries chipped in and gave Mexico some aid.
13:06Yeah, they really needed new water parks.
13:08In reality, the episode was likely pulled because
13:11it negatively depicted the country's president
13:14and would have ruffled feathers at the Ministry of the Interior.
13:17Hey, hey Mexico!
13:18We said no spending the space cash yet!
13:22What the hell are you doing?
13:23It was broadcast a few months later,
13:25with permission from the ministry.
13:27That's it, we're done.
13:28Number 15.
13:30Oscar performance.
13:31When South Park Bigger Longer and Uncut was nominated for the best original song
13:35at the 72nd Academy Awards, ABC had a problem on their hands.
13:39The song Blame Canada includes profanity,
13:42so ABC requested that the lyrics be altered to comply
13:46with the network's standards and practices.
13:48Blame Canada! Blame Canada!
13:51It seems that everything's gone wrong since Canada came along!
13:54Songwriters Trey Parker and Mark Shaman declined,
13:57but fortunately, the performers found a clever compromise.
14:00When the lyrics called for profanity,
14:02Robin Williams turned his back and the other performers gasped.
14:06The missing word was obvious,
14:08and no one dropped an F-bomb at the Oscars.
14:18Number 14.
14:19South Park The Stick of Truth.
14:21Even in video game form, South Park can't help but stir up controversy.
14:25Whomever controls the stick, controls the universe.
14:28The RPG South Park The Stick of Truth was published by Ubisoft,
14:32who voluntarily censored the game in the European market
14:35without direction from the ratings board.
14:38Ubisoft removed scenes depicting an anal probe and an abortion,
14:42as well as Nazi imagery, which is illegal in Germany.
14:45Careful, douchebag.
14:46That guy's ready for your arrows now.
14:47You gotta try something else.
14:48In place of the missing scenes,
14:50there was a mocking title card that explained them in graphic detail.
14:53Don't gaze at it too long,
14:54for its power is too much for mere mortals to look at.
14:57Parker and Stone were reportedly unhappy that content had been cut,
15:00and made the title cards to push back against censorship.
15:06Number 13.
15:07Garrison on Refugees.
15:09In November of 2015, Paris suffered horrific attacks,
15:13for which ISIS claimed responsibility.
15:16The revelation that some of the attackers had entered Europe from Syria
15:19contributed to a surge in anti-refugee rhetoric.
15:22Many voters believe that Syrian refugees should not be allowed into our country
15:27for security reasons.
15:28What do you think?
15:29Just a few days after the attacks,
15:31the South Park episode's sponsored content
15:33had Garrison label Syrian refugees terrorists,
15:37and call for violence against them.
15:39As a result, this scene was removed
15:41when the episode aired on Comedy Central in the Netherlands.
15:44However, the full and uncensored episode
15:47was made available on the official South Park website.
15:50Number 12.
15:51Climate Change Denialism.
15:52In 2006, South Park aired a particularly controversial episode called ManBearPig.
15:58It features Al Gore warning about a monster called ManBearPig,
16:02who serves as a metaphor for climate change.
16:04There is something out there which threatens our very existence,
16:08and may be the end to the human race as we know it.
16:11The episode was released around the time of Gore's famous documentary
16:14An Inconvenient Truth,
16:16which Parker and Stone were skeptical about.
16:18Why won't anybody listen to me?
16:21ManBearPig is in there and we have to kill him
16:23while we all have the chance on burial!
16:25The episode is dismissive of climate change
16:28and the science behind it.
16:29Twelve years later,
16:30Parker and Stone acknowledge their mistake
16:32in the episode Time to Get Cereal
16:36by making ManBearPig very much real.
16:38We were warned about this.
16:40That weirdo guy who came and told us this would happen?
16:43He was right.
16:44Number 11. Copycat Prevention.
16:46If any episode of South Park makes the news or gets banned,
16:49odds are the controversy is more likely about
16:52someone being offended by the show's humor.
16:54She's taking it out on me!
16:55Yeah, but that sucks you get your butt kicked by a girl, Stan!
16:58But for an early season one episode,
17:00a scene featuring Shelley setting Stan on fire
17:02was self-censored in future airings and releases by the show's network.
17:06The reasoning behind cutting the scene
17:08seemed to be related to recurring jokes about fire
17:10in episodes of Beavis and Butthead.
17:12These were thought to have inspired a real-life person
17:14to burn down his home,
17:15resulting in the death of a family member.
17:18Concerned someone might mimic Shelley's actions herself,
17:21Comedy Central decided to play it safe
17:23and permanently alter the episode.
17:25Someday, Shelley, I'm gonna be bigger than you
17:27and you're gonna wish you'd never done any of this to me!
17:30You'll never be bigger than me, Stan!
17:32Number 10. Chinese Censorship.
17:34Yeah, no, no, we don't want to go there.
17:36Talking about the Dalai Lama doesn't go over well with the Chinese.
17:41The-the-the what?
17:42Look, for this movie to really make money,
17:44we need to make sure it clears the Chinese censors.
17:46On October 2nd, 2019, South Park aired Band in China,
17:51an episode that viciously satirized Chinese censorship
17:54and the ways in which the entertainment industry
17:55bends to their demands.
17:57American audiences loved it,
17:59as it wonderfully critiqued both the Chinese censorship laws
18:02and the compromised state of American entertainment.
18:05Chinese audiences, not so much.
18:07China now.
18:08Jesus, what kind of madhouse is this?
18:15What's going on here?
18:17China essentially scrubbed South Park from existence,
18:20removing every episode from its streaming services,
18:22every clip from the internet,
18:24and every fansite or social media page dedicated to discussing the series.
18:28Uh, kids, let's not say anything about this being a free country.
18:32Oh, come on!
18:33Hey, these guys were nice enough to come all the way from China
18:36to help us with our standards.
18:37We can at least listen to their notes.
18:39Oh, oh, okay, okay, okay.
18:42Actually, gang, we need to rewrite the whole second act.
18:44In true South Park fashion,
18:46Trey Parker and Matt Stone issued a faux apology,
18:49writing,
18:49quote,
18:50Like the NBA, we welcome the Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts.
18:54We too love money more than freedom and democracy.
18:57Number nine, excessive use of profanity.
19:00I was just watching the TV.
19:01They had this commercial.
19:02So?
19:03So guess what they're gonna say tonight on that show cop drama.
19:06What?
19:06No, come on, guess.
19:07They're gonna say something that's never been said on television.
19:10If you think South Park is controversial now,
19:12you should have seen it in the early 2000s.
19:14You couldn't go 10 minutes without someone calling it the bane of Western civilization.
19:19Back then, people were incensed that the show contained profanity.
19:22Oh, I bet this is it.
19:23Here it comes.
19:24I'm doing my job, Frank.
19:26We have to know where that evidence was shipped.
19:28Oh, was that it?
19:29Was that it?
19:29Shipped.
19:30He said shipped.
19:30I told you we don't have a record of that.
19:32But it wasn't just South Park.
19:34The show, Chicago Hope, also generated significant media attention
19:37around a character uttering the phrase,
19:39shit happens.
19:40To combat this, South Park co-creator Trey Parker wrote It Hits the Fan,
19:44an episode where the same swear word from that phrase
19:47is said and written a total of 200 times.
19:50You know, that word's getting kind of old.
19:52It's not really funny anymore.
19:54Yeah, they're gonna have to come up with a new swear word soon.
19:56This equates to the word being said or written every eight seconds.
20:00Surprisingly, the episode itself didn't stir up much controversy,
20:03aside from the 5,000 odd emails that were sent to Comedy Central.
20:078. Portrayal of Mormonism
20:09All right, kids.
20:10Now how about we do some scripture readings from the Book of Mormon?
20:15All right!
20:17The Book of Mormon?
20:18What's that?
20:19The Season 7 episode All About Mormons concerns a Mormon family moving into South Park
20:23and swaying the marshes with their religion.
20:26The episode obviously touches on a lot of important facets relating to Mormonism,
20:30including the Book of Mormon, Family Home Evening,
20:32the story of founder Joseph Smith, and the Golden Plates.
20:36I have, in my possession, an ancient book written on gold plates
20:40that tells of Jesus Christ's second coming, here, in America!
20:45In America? Really?
20:47That sounds kind of...
20:49Dum-dum-dum-dum-dum!
20:51Parker concedes that he found the episode difficult to write,
20:54as most of the Mormons he knew were friendly and good-natured people.
20:57How come you want to fight me?
20:59Oh, I get it.
21:00I'm the new kid.
21:01Yeah, I guess maybe I deserve it.
21:04Huh?
21:05It's really tough being in a totally new place,
21:06but I think all you guys are really cool,
21:08so I understand if there's initiation rights.
21:12Dude, stop it.
21:13The LDS Church stated that although the episode did not hamper their growth,
21:17they did admit that, quote,
21:18"...individual church members felt uncomfortable over the gross portrayal of church history."
21:23And so Joseph Smith put his head into a hat and read to me what the Golden Plates said.
21:28I wrote it all down and we're gonna publish it into a book!
21:32Martin, how do you know he isn't just making stuff up
21:35and pretending he's translating off Golden Plates?
21:40On September 4th, 2006, Steve Irwin tragically died after a stingray attack.
21:45On October 25th, just seven weeks after the tragedy,
21:48Irwin appeared in the episode Hell on Earth 2006.
21:51Hey, Satan, you got a little problem.
21:53What?
21:54Somebody showed up in a crocodile hunter costume.
21:57It's really offending some of the other guests.
21:59In the episode, Irwin can be seen at Satan's party
22:02with a stingray protruding from a bloody chest wound.
22:04This spurred a lot of vocal controversy, particularly from the Irwin family.
22:08A friend of Irwin's widow released a statement saying, quote,
22:11"...Terry is devastated Steve is being mocked in such a cruel way.
22:15Her worry is that their children, Bindi and Bob, will see it and break down."
22:19Many voiced their criticism, believing the episode to be distasteful.
22:23On the other hand, Trey Parker and Matt Stone were surprised the cameo caused so much controversy,
22:27believing that they've done things on the show that were far more offensive.
22:31Now I will take charge of Halloween and call upon the spirits of Hell's most evil souls,
22:38Ted Bundy,
22:42Jeffrey Dahmer,
22:45and John Wayne Gacy.
22:50Okay, boys, this is the first day of sexual education, okay?
22:53Now, I know that some of you think this is very funny.
22:57Words like penis and vagina.
23:00Now, now, stop that, okay?
23:01This season five episode serves as a satire on sex education in schools.
23:06That's what it's called when you milk a dog, beating it off.
23:08Don't you guys know anything?
23:10The episode contains many problematic and graphic scenes.
23:13Needless to say, the episode generated some significant criticism from censorship boards.
23:18Australian channels gave the episode an M.A. rating and aired it in a later time slot,
23:22while the British channel Sky One refused to air the episode altogether.
23:26Subsequent rebroadcasts and the DVD version are both edited,
23:30and the episode has never been aired in syndication.
23:34Just walk away.
23:36You can put a stop to all this.
23:38Just walk away and we will spare your lives.
23:42Just walk away.
23:47You guys, you guys!
23:48Chef is going away.
23:51Going away?
23:52For how long?
23:54Forever.
23:54Isaac Hayes voiced Chef for nearly 10 years before randomly quitting in March of 2006.
24:00According to the press release made in his name,
24:02he left the show due to their supposed, quote,
24:04intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs.
24:07Goodbye, Chef.
24:08Have a great time with the Super Adventure Club.
24:11Goodbye.
24:14See you later!
24:18Parker and Stone found his departure suspicious and argued that Hayes was a hypocrite,
24:22as he only showed contention with the show when it made fun of his own religion, Scientology.
24:27Hello, I'm Dr. Nealon. What can I do for you today?
24:30Hi, our friend has been brainwashed by some fruity little club.
24:34Brainwashed?
24:35However, reports began to emerge indicating that the statement
24:38was likely made and concocted by someone else.
24:41This was later confirmed by Hayes' son, Isaac Hayes III.
24:45According to him, his father's fellow Scientologists had
24:48released the statement under his name after he had suffered a debilitating stroke.
24:524. Racial Slurs
24:54On November 17, 2006, Michael Richards effectively tarnished
24:58his legacy through a vile and racist rant at Hollywood's Laugh Factory.
25:02Huh? That's the guy from Seinfeld used the N-word a whole bunch of times.
25:07Michael Richards?
25:08This inspired Parker and Stone to write With Apologies to Jesse Jackson,
25:12an episode exploring the societal implications of the N-word.
25:16Dude, Jesse Jackson said it's okay.
25:18Jesse Jackson is not the emperor of black people.
25:23He told my dad he was.
25:24The episode contained 43 uncensored uses of the word,
25:28but despite that, it received very little media attention.
25:31In fact, it was even praised for both its humor and relevance in society.
25:35Ironically, this lack of controversy stirred some controversy,
25:39particularly from the Parents Television Council, a conservative advocacy group.
25:43According to its founder, the lack of media attention was hypocritical,
25:47as other people, specifically radio host Don Imus,
25:50had been criticized for using similar racist language in the past.
25:53However, his controversy is nowhere near as awkward or embarrassing as Randy's.
25:59Huh?
26:07Oh.
26:09Oh.
26:10Oh, naggers, of course. Naggers.
26:15What seems to be the officer problem?
26:17Sir, why don't you step out of the car for me?
26:22This episode sees the citizens of South Park flocking to a statue of the Virgin Mary
26:26that shoots a substantial amount of blood from its rectum,
26:29which they believe contains healing powers.
26:32As news of the miracle spreads, hundreds are expected to show up here at the church,
26:36hoping to witness the miracle and even cure their diseases.
26:40When Pope Benedict XVI investigates the statue,
26:42he discovers that the blood actually emits from the vagina,
26:46which negates its healing potential.
26:48After witnessing the phenomenon firsthand, the Pope then cleaned himself off
26:52and then declared that the bleeding Virgin Mary statue is not a miracle!
26:58What?
26:59As you can imagine, numerous groups took issue with the Virgin Mary
27:02spraying vaginal blood on people.
27:04The Catholic League attempted to have the episode erased,
27:07and religious groups in New Zealand tried to prevent it from airing in their country.
27:11Notable religious figures voiced their concern,
27:13including Archbishop Dennis Hart and Bishop William Skilstad,
27:17who claimed that Comedy Central showed extreme insensitivity by airing the episode.
27:24Xenu thought his galaxy was overpopulated,
27:26and so he rounded up countless aliens from all different planets
27:30and then had those aliens frozen.
27:37The season 9 episode Trapped in the Closet
27:39takes substantial shots at the religion of Scientology and its famous members.
27:43This resulted in an enormous amount of backlash,
27:46including what was then termed Closetgate.
27:49Comedy Central suspiciously cancelled a rebroadcast of the episode in March 2006,
27:53and many people suspected the involvement of Tom Cruise.
27:56I'm nothing.
27:58I'm a failure in the eyes of the prophet!
28:00Ah!
28:01Hey!
28:02Dude, I'm sorry!
28:03I didn't mean it!
28:04Go away!
28:05Cruise was promoting Mission Impossible 3 at the time,
28:08and Comedy Central's parent company Viacom also owns Paramount Pictures.
28:12According to the theory,
28:13Cruise refused to promote the movie unless the episode was pulled,
28:17and Viacom relented.
28:18Mr. Cruise?
28:19Mr. Cruise, come out of the closet!
28:22No!
28:23Come on, Mr. Cruise, this is ridiculous!
28:26I'm never coming out!
28:27While Cruise denied the allegations,
28:29the incident caused some major animosity between Parker and Stone and Comedy Central.
28:34We've just had an incredible development here, Mitch!
28:36Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and R. Kelly have all come out of the closet!
28:43So you're not the prophet, huh?
28:46You made me look stupid!
28:47I'm gonna sue you too!
28:49Before we continue,
28:50be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
28:55You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
28:58If you're on your phone,
29:00make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
29:05Number 1.
29:06Muhammad Take Two
29:07It's just that there's somebody I've always wanted to meet,
29:10face to face.
29:11If you could get him to show up in your town.
29:13Sure!
29:14Who is it?
29:14We can get anybody for you!
29:16Muhammad, the prophet of the Muslim faith.
29:20Oh, that's tricky.
29:24200 and 201 aren't just the most controversial episodes of South Park,
29:28but each has a case for being the most controversial episodes in television history.
29:33After the airing of 200,
29:35Parker and Stone received open death threats from a radical Muslim organization
29:38due to the episode's depiction of Muhammad.
29:41Showing an image of him is completely off-limits and censored,
29:44so nobody has ever seen what Muhammad looks like.
29:46As a result, Comedy Central heavily censored the ending of 201,
29:50wherein Kyle gives a satirical speech about the effectiveness of violent threats.
29:55You see, I learned something today.
29:57Throughout this whole ordeal,
29:59we've all wanted to show things that we weren't allowed to show.
30:02But it wasn't because of some magic goo.
30:04It was because of the magical power of threatening people with violence.
30:08The network then became the subject of controversy.
30:11Not only did they ironically nullify and directly contradict
30:14the speech's theme by censoring the episode,
30:16but they proved that violent threats actually work.
30:19Critics suggested that the act of cowardly caving to demands
30:22would only encourage similar violent behavior from radical organizations.
30:26Do you think South Park ever went too far?
30:28Let us know in the comments.
30:30No!
30:30We're the North American Marlon Brando lookalikes!
30:34Oh, crap!
30:35We've got the wrong nabla!
30:36Oh, damn it!
30:37I'm in the wrong place!
30:38Did you enjoy this video?
30:40Check out these other clips from WatchMojo.
30:42And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.