Celebrities and South Park

Since South Park's 200th episode focuses on all the celebrities, which South Park has made fun of over the years, I decided to take a look back at some of my favorite celebrity moments myself.

We'll start off with one of my favorite celebrity/athlete, Tiger Woods. I know I already addressed this episode a few posts ago but, that was more to point out the inconsiderate nature of how the episode was structured. Fact is, it was Tiger's turn to get ripped by South Park. Over the years we've seen athletes made fun of by South Park before, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire for their steroid use, and even Ben Rothlisberger for his sex assault problems. Tiger's episode however, focused almost solely around him and his wife Elin. Overall I feel as though the episode was very funny, however I feel as though it was released to soon. I think South Park would've been better off waiting a few weeks with this episode just to let the dust settle a bit more especially around the assault issue. This is not the first time South Park has been too quick to poke fun at an issue. In 2006 within two weeks of Steve Irwin's death, South Park shows Steve Irwin attending a Halloween party with a stingray still stuck in his heart.

The second group of celebrities commonly exploited by South Park are politicians. In 2008, only days after the election. An episode aired portraying Barack Obama, John McCain, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Obama all as a part of a conspiracy using the presidency to steal the Hope diamond from the Smithsonian. Other episodes include characters such as Bill and Hillary Clinton.

A third and the most common group of celebrities attacked by South Park are performers and movie stars. Some of South Park's funniest episodes, such as the Kanye West "Fishsticks" episode, and more recently the 200th episode when Tom Cruise wages war against South Park.

South Park is a controversial show not only because of its obscenity, it's also controversial because of the people the show makes fun of. The Fishsticks episode just wouldn't be the same without Kanye West, just like the episode based on Sex addiction wouldn't be the same without Tiger Woods. Really after looking at each episode in depth, South Park does nothing more than Satirize current events and stereotypes. Taking an event like the election, and spinning it to create, funny, fictional story. In doing so South Park becomes personally relevant to its veiwers.