Comedy Central pulls South Park episode after Charlie Kirk shooting amid MAGA backlas

Comedy Central on Thursday pulled a recent episode of South Park that parodied conservative activist Charlie Kirk, after supporters of the “Make America Great Again” movement blamed the show for fueling his fatal shooting.

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk and his South Park parody

(Photo: Screengrab, JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP)

The controversial episode, titled Got a Nut, aired Aug. 6. In it, the character Eric Cartman portrays a caricature of Kirk—mimicking his speech style, haircut and debating tactics—and concludes with a fictional “Charlie Kirk Award for Young Master-Debaters.” Cartman boasts about beating “totally unprepared” college girls in a debate, while editing out all who respond well.

Despite the satire, Kirk initially reacted favorably. In a TikTok video after the episode aired, he called it “hilarious,” and later told Fox News that he viewed it as “a badge of honor.”

Some of Kirk’s supporters, however, contend that the parody may have contributed to the circumstances that led to the shooting. “You know what, f— it. Let’s blame South Park,” one wrote on X. “Blame the media. Blame leftist rhetoric. These people hate you and want to see you dead. If they’ll kill Charlie Kirk and piss on his grave, they’ll do it to any of us.”

“Trey Parker and Matt Stone are responsible for this,” posted a second, referring to the creators of the show.

“South Park certainly fomented the hatred necessary to get Kirk assassinated,” a third said.

Johnny MAGA, a popular account with nearly 250,000 followers, said: “South Park attacking Charlie Kirk’s college campus events and mocking his Christian faith just a few weeks ago,” and added a clip from the episode with the caption: “Monsters.”

US President Donald Trump and Kirk

(Photo: MARK WILSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

In response to the backlash, Comedy Central removed the episode from its rerun schedule. It remains available via Paramount+ streaming.

At least one other outlet recently provoked Kirk: three days before his death, Jezebel published an essay accusing him of extreme misogyny—including a headline, “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk,” and tongue‑in‑cheek references to alleged hexes. The piece was later updated with an editor’s note condemning the shooting and saying the essay did not support political violence.

“This story was published on September 8. Jezebel condemns the shooting of Charlie Kirk in the strongest possible terms. We do not endorse, encourage, or excuse political violence of any kind,” the editor’s note read. The article was also updated since its original publication to change the byline to “By Jezebel.”

In his career, Kirk had been prominent for his outspoken pro‑Israel stance and criticism of the BDS movement. He was known for describing Israel as a key ally of the United States. At the time of his death, videos recorded at the scene showed him bleeding from a neck wound and the crowd fleeing in panic. A suspect was initially detained but later released.

Meanwhile, MSNBC fired political analyst Matthew Dowd after he suggested on air that Kirk’s own “hateful words” contributed to his shooting. The network apologized, calling the remarks “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”