Skip to the story
All stories

South Park Renamed South America for Season 29 Premiere

The show's season opener featured a new theme song, a Donald Trump cameo, and an e-bike plotline.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated

What this story says

  • South Park was renamed South America for its 29th season, with creators citing political moves to rename places as inspiration.
  • The season premiere featured a new theme song and a cameo appearance by Donald Trump.
  • The episode's plot involved the main characters and e-bikes, leading parents to form a biker gang in opposition.
  • Kenny died in the episode when his e-bike exploded, prompting the town to outlaw e-bikes.

Who covered it

Left 52%(12)Centre 44%(10)Right 4%(1)

Percentages are shares of the 23 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 13 of the 36 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

61/100

Hype

41/100

36 sources · methodology

Missing from the right

Only 1 of the 23 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.

A reader who follows the right would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

The animated series South Park began its 29th season on 16 September 2026, with a name change to South America. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone stated this change was inspired by political actions to rename places. The season premiere episode, titled "South American Biker Gangs," featured a new theme song with altered lyrics and a cameo appearance by Donald Trump.

The plot of the episode centered on the main characters and their new interest in e-bikes. When the children took their motorized bikes onto the streets, the parents of South America formed their own biker gang in protest. Kenny died in the episode when his e-bike exploded. This event led to the town uniting to outlaw e-bikes and begin selling "South America Strong" T-shirts.

The show had previously won an award at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys. While celebrating this win, the show's official X account shared a graphic of Donald Trump. The creators had also shared a statement saying, "Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of ‘South Park’ to ‘South America.’"

Coverage disagreements

Reports differed on whether Donald Trump appeared in the episode. Variety stated that the premiere included a Donald Trump cameo. However, MSNBCTV NEWS reported that the plot stayed local and was Trump-free. Franktrades.com also stated there was no Trump in the episode.

Omissions

None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mentioned the show winning an award at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys. No right-rated outlet ran this story.

Coverage settled. We checked this 29 times and stopped on 22 Sept 2026, 18:00. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

12 rated outlets

  • Seven left-rated reports covered the South Park name change to South America. Variety, Ada Derana, The Independent, and The Independent (US) highlighted the Trump cameo. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter mentioned the show's win at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys and a related graphic shared by the show. Variety also noted the creators' statement about the name change being a jab at political moves and mentioned previous political plot points from season 28. Polygon reported the show became the biggest sitcom on streaming after one episode. Deadline and Ada Derana mentioned the e-bike plot and Kenny's death.

Centre

10 rated outlets

  • Six centre-rated reports focused on the South Park name change to South America. Mandatory, ComingSoon.net, and FandomWire highlighted a "naked" Donald Trump in the season premiere's intro. FandomWire and ComicBook.com mentioned the official name change and the altered theme song lyrics. Bleeding Cool News And Rumors previewed the episode "South American Biker Gangs." Forbes noted the season's more consistent release schedule.

Right

1 rated outlet

We have not written our reading of the right coverage of this story. The right-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover South Park Renamed South America for Season 29 Premiere?
Of the 23 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 52% are rated left, 44% are rated centre, 4% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 36. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is South Park Renamed South America for Season 29 Premiere left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 23 rated outlets on this story, 52% are rated left, 44% are rated centre, 4% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of South Park Renamed South America for Season 29 Premiere biased?
South Park Renamed South America for Season 29 Premiere is one event reported by 36 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting South Park Renamed South America for Season 29 Premiere?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered South Park Renamed South America for Season 29 Premiere?
36 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
Why was South Park renamed South America?
The creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, renamed the show South America for its 29th season as a comedic jab at political moves to rename places. They stated the change was inspired by similar actions taken by companies and politicians.
What happened in the South America season premiere?
The season premiere, titled "South American Biker Gangs," featured a new theme song and a Donald Trump cameo. The plot involved the main characters and e-bikes, leading parents to form a biker gang. Kenny died when his e-bike exploded.
Did Donald Trump appear in the South America episode?
Reports differ on whether Donald Trump appeared in the episode. Variety stated he made a cameo, while MSNBCTV NEWS and Franktrades.com reported that the episode was Trump-free and focused locally.

Read it at the source

36 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

12
Show 4 more

Centre

10
Show 2 more

Right

1

Not rated

13
Show 5 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

South Park Season 29 | MediaBias News