FCC Boss Brendan Carr's Freedom of Speech Under Threat in Delayed South Park Episode

South Park’s delayed occurrence — the archetypal since the assassination of Charlie Kirk — has aired connected Comedy Central, revealing this week’s people to beryllium Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seat Brendan Carr.

Last week, Comedy Central delayed the latest occurrence of South Park conscionable hours earlier it was owed to air. Co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone issued a connection astatine the clip insisting the blasted laic astatine their door.

Parker and Stone make each occurrence week-by-week, which makes for a chaotic accumulation but topical shows. But they person switched to a bi-weekly docket for this season, with the elongated accumulation clip allowing the brace much country to enactment connected each episode, thing Paramount is reportedly blessed with.

The hold sparked speculation that the occurrence was pulled retired of fearfulness of reprisal pursuing the assassination of Charlie Kirk, an state of Donald Trump who was changeable astatine a Utah assemblage connected Wednesday, September 10. Comedy Central had pulled the scheduled repetition of South Park Season 27, Episode 2, titled Got a Nut, successful which Eric Cartman cosplays arsenic Charlie Kirk, becomes a right-wing podcaster and issues messages akin to those utilized by Kirk successful the past arsenic helium "masterdebates" assemblage graduates. Cartman adjacent dishes retired an grant called 'The Charlie Kirk Award for Young Masterdebaters.'

Warning! Spoilers for South Park Season 27 Episode 5 follow:

This week’s episode, titled ‘Conflict of Interest,’ takes purpose astatine FCC brag Brendan Carr successful a communicative that revolves astir prediction marketplace apps and Trump’s repeated botched attempts to get escaped of his and Satan’s baby.

Trump lays a fig of traps for Satan designed to harm the unborn baby, but Carr unwittingly triggers them instead. Carr ends up hospitalized with toxoplasmosis from vulnerability to feline faeces. The doctor’s prognosis isn’t positive: “His bones are healing truthful helium whitethorn regain afloat scope of motion, but if the toxoplasmosis parasite gets to his brain, I’m acrophobic helium whitethorn suffer his state of speech."

The Chairman of the FCC mightiness suffer his state of speech. pic.twitter.com/9aGiHHaWmp

— South Park (@SouthPark) September 25, 2025

That’s a wide gag astir Carr’s engagement successful the suspension of speech amusement big Jimmy Kimmel. On September 17, 2025, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely aft its big made on-air comments astir the assassination of Kirk. ABC axed the amusement aft the FCC threatened regulatory action, raising concerns the Trump medication was curtailing the escaped code of its critics. The FCC is the bureau that regulates U.S. licensed communications connected broadcast tv and radio.

Kimmel had said the "Maga gang" was "desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk arsenic thing different than 1 of them" and trying "everything they can" to "score governmental points from it.”

He besides compared Trump's absorption to Kirk’s decease to "how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.” Kimmel had condemned the onslaught and sent "love" to the Kirk household pursuing the shooting.

Carr accused Kimmel of "the sickest behaviour possible" and said networks similar the Disney-owned ABC could "find ways to alteration behaviour and instrumentality action... oregon there's going to beryllium further enactment for the FCC.”

Brendan Carr, Chairman, FCC. Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images for Concordia Annual Summit.

U.S. president Donald Trump past suggested immoderate TV networks opposed to him should person their licenses "taken away.” As reported by the BBC, Trump said:

"I person work immoderate spot that the networks were 97% against me, again, 97% negative, and yet I won and easy [in past year's election]," Trump said. "They springiness maine lone atrocious publicity [and] press. I mean, they're getting a license. I would deliberation possibly their licence should beryllium taken away."

ABC subsequently lifted Kimmel’s suspension, who returned to late-night U.S. tv this week to present an affectional monologue criticizing "anti-American" threats to escaped speech. Carr has insisted his comments astir Kimmel had thing to bash with ABC’s determination to suspend the speech amusement host.

The South Park occurrence takes a crook erstwhile it emerges JD Vance wants to spot Trump and Satan’s babe wound the dust, too, due to the fact that he’s acrophobic it volition win Trump arsenic President alternatively of him. In a sinister menace to Carr, who helium believes is thwarting his plans, Vance says: “We tin bash this the casual way, oregon we tin bash it the hard way.”

That’s different motion to Carr’s comments up of the Jimmy Kimmel suspension. Carr had warned “we tin bash this the casual mode oregon the hard way” connected a right-wing podcast earlier ABC took action.

During Kimmel’s instrumentality to tv connected Tuesday, Hollywood fable Robert De Niro made a astonishment quality successful a skit wherever helium assumed the relation of the brag of the FCC. De Niro became irate erstwhile Kimmel suggested the FCC had been utilizing “mob tactics” to suppress escaped speech. “What the f*** did you conscionable accidental to me?” De Niro said, rekindling memories of his relation arsenic a gangster successful Goodfellas.

When Kimmel asked him not to curse oregon they’d beryllium fined by the FCC, helium replied: “I americium the FCC.”

Robert De Niro arsenic Brendan Carr connected Jimmy Kimmel 🤣 pic.twitter.com/oZOYS93LVC

— Blue Georgia (@BlueATLGeorgia) September 24, 2025

South Park’s caller episodes person drawn immoderate of the series' best-ever ratings, arsenic good arsenic planetary attention, for their nary holds barred depiction of President Trump. But the episodes are taking longer to produce. South Park volition present instrumentality a further 2 weeks disconnected earlier resuming its bi-weekly docket from October 15 to December 10.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].