Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has hit back at South Park after she was portrayed as a Botox-obsessed dog killer in its latest satirical attack on the Trump administration.
“It’s so lazy to just constantly make fun of women for how they look. It’s only the liberals and the extremists who do that,” she told The Glenn Beck Program podcast in reaction to the latest episode.
“If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that, but clearly they can’t,” she added. “They just pick something petty like that.”
Why It Matters
The clash between South Park and Noem comes at a moment when the show’s cultural relevance is a matter of public debate – even between the White House and federal agencies. Just last month, the White House dismissed South Park as “not relevant.”
But in a twist, the Department of Homeland Security used a screengrab from the show in an official post to promote Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) job openings, offering a $50,000 signing bonus.
In response, South Park reposted the DHS tweet and sarcastically wrote: “Wait, so we ARE relevant? #eatabagofd***s.”
The moment underscores how satirical media like South Park continues to hold cultural sway – even as political officials alternately dismiss and exploit its reach. It also illustrates the Trump administration’s willingness to embrace polarizing cultural moments as part of its messaging and recruitment strategy.
What To Know
In Wednesday night’s episode, called “Got a Nut,” Noem’s character’s Botox runs out out and she talks about shooting dogs, seemingly a reference to her recalling the decision to fatally shoot her 14-month-old pet dog Cricket in her book released last year.
Her character runs an orientation session for new ICE recruits and tells them: “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.” She is then shown shooting several dogs.
Vice President JD Vance, who is portrayed in the episode as a mini-sized Donald Trump servant, responded in a post on X saying: “Well, I’ve finally made it.”
The clash between South Park and the Trump administration comes at a time of major corporate upheaval behind the scenes of the show.
In July, the Trump administration approved an $8 billion merger between Paramount and Skydance Media, which puts Paramount’s TV operations, including South Park, under new leadership.
As part of the deal, CBS executive George Cheeks, who previously oversaw the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, has been tapped to oversee South Park and other Comedy Central programming.
What People Are Saying
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers previously responded to the South Park episode mocking Trump when she told Variety: “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.”
The Department of Homeland Security responded to South Park’s quip on its X post: “We want to thank South Park for drawing attention to ICE law enforcement recruitment.”
“We are calling on patriotic Americans to help us remove murderers, gang members, pedophiles, and other violent criminals from our country,” it said in a statement to Newsweek.
What Happens Next
The episode’s release comes amid growing attention on Noem’s role in Trump’s reelection campaign and her leadership at the Department of Homeland Security. Whether the parody damages her political standing or rallies further support from her base remains to be seen.
AP
