Elon Musk & Gina Carano Praise ‘South Park’ for Dissing Disney
The humorous animated show South Park went after The Walt Disney Company in a special episode. In response to the episode, business guru Elon Musk took to social media to praise the show for its “timely” episode.
South Park
South Park is an animated show that debuted in 1997 and has since produced over 300 episodes. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone often use the show and the four boys who are stars of the show- Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick to make comments about larger issues using humor and satire.
Throughout the twenty-six seasons, South Park has focused on pop culture, celebrities, and other issues in the headlines. Because of this, each episode opens with a humorous disclaimer for audience members:
“All characters and events in this show—even those based on real people—are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated…..poorly. The following program contains coarse language, and due to its content, it should not be viewed by anyone.”
At the end of episodes, we often see the four boys coming together to discuss the lesson they all learned. Even though the shows are often full of profanity, crude humor, mockery, and satire, in the end, the boys’ innocence does come through.
https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1719241748910612663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1719241748910612663%7Ctwgr%5Eddb33432cf15044014b2a0cdafad9d44aed4cd4d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nme.com%2Fnews%2Ftv%2Felon-musk-praises-south-park-special-mocking-disney-diverse-remakes-3526681
South Park Takes on Disney
In an episode aired on Friday, October 27, 2023, on Paramount+, South Park went after Disney, Lucasfilm, and Kathleen Kennedy. The special episode “Joining the Panderverse” focuses on Cartman’s fear that a diverse woman will replace him.
The episode follows Cartman as a Black woman replaces him after a portal to the multiverse is opened.
Cartman meets a variety of Disney executives, including CEO Bog Iger and Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy. During the meeting, it was discussed how pandering to everyone isn’t working anymore. “We keep making the same movie repeatedly and pandering to everyone, but suddenly it’s not working.” One executive tells Iger during the meeting.
The episode hits on the criticism that Disney and Lucasfilms have faced in the past few years regarding productions such as The Little Mermaid (2023), which saw Halle Bailey as Ariel. Just recently, Disney announced the delay of Rachel Zegler’s Snow White (2025) as controversy continues to surround the production of this movie.
The South Park episode focuses on the backlash that Disney faces from many right-wing YouTubers and others on social media regarding the diversity changes Disney is taking.
Related: Disney Star Takes Over as the New ‘Snow White’
Elon Musk Praising South Park
Following the release of the episode, business guru and founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, took to social media to praise the episode, calling it “timely.” Musk also posted the trailer on X, adding, “The bellwether has sounded.”
Musk wasn’t the only one to make his opinion of the episode known.
Gino Carano started in The Mandalorian but was let go following controversial posts on social media. In her post, Carano comments that Kennedy would want YouTubers who share and laugh at the episode to be censored.
https://twitter.com/ginacarano/status/1718714226532069749
Although many viewers might enjoy the most recent episode of South Park, it is also important to point out that Kennedy shouldn’t be singled out for the struggles that Disney’s box office is facing. Kennedy is the face of Lucasfilm; she is not in charge of Disney overall or the direction that the Walt Disney Company seems to be heading.
South Park addressed some of the concerns and questions that many fans are having with Disney’s recent work. The episode might have been slightly overly critical of Kennedy, but it is a criticism of Disney’s “woke” focus as of late.
The Plot Thickens
And while the South Park episode aired several months ago, Elon Musk and Gina Carano aren’t done calling out Disney.
News dropped on February 6, 2024, that Gina Carano is now suing Disney and Lucasfilm for wrongful termination. The man funding the lawsuit? Yep, you guessed it – Elon Musk.
As always, we will be sure to keep readers updated as we learn more about what’s to come from this recent lawsuit.
In the meantime, did you watch this South Park episode? What were your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.
