Topline
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said on Thursday night her portrayal on this week’s episode of “South Park,” which has garnered criticism from Washington for ripping President Donald Trump and his administration, is “petty” and “lazy,” but admitted she didn’t watch the episode.
Noem appeared on conservative radio host Glenn Beck’s show Thursday night, where she said it is “so lazy to constantly make fun of women for how they look.”
On the Wednesday night episode of “South Park,” Noem was portrayed wearing makeup and an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement uniform, and in one scene, her Botox procedure dissolved, causing the cartoon character’s face to melt.
On Thursday night, South Park made the image of Noem’s character’s face melting its profile picture across its social media platforms.
Noem called the portrayal “petty,” stating it’s “always the liberals and the extremists who do that. If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that, but clearly they can’t.”
In another scene, Noem is depicted shooting a dog—a reference to Noem’s own claim that she once shot and killed her young dog because it was aggressive—and conducting ICE raids at a live production of “Dora the Explorer” to target Latinos.
Vice President JD Vance, who is also satirized in the episode as a comedically short sidekick to Trump, responded to the episode on Thursday morning: “Well, I’ve finally made it.”
On Wednesday night’s episode, recurring character Mr. Mackey loses his job as a teacher because of Trump’s Department of Education budget cuts and decides to take a job as an ICE officer. Noem appears in an orientation video where she says she killed her dog by “shooting it in the face,” and the dog-killing becomes a running gag throughout the episode. Noem also instructs her ICE agents: “Remember, only detain the brown ones!” The episode also targets Trump and Vance, with Trump once again portrayed as Satan’s lover and having small genitals.
Before Wednesday’s episode even aired, “South Park” and the Department of Homeland Security traded barbs on X. The show posted a still from the then-forthcoming episode on Tuesday, depicting Mr. Mackey in an ICE uniform alongside the satirized Noem. Later that day, the official DHS X account posted a still from the episode alongside a link urging people to join ICE. “South Park” responded to the agency’s post on Tuesday night: “Wait, so we ARE relevant? #eatabagofdicks,” referencing the White House’s statement that the show “hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years” after it skewered Trump in July’s season premiere.
“South Park” aired the first episode of its 27th season in July, which angered the White House for targeting Trump. In the episode, Trump is depicted as Satan’s lover, with multiple references to his small genitals, the Jeffrey Epstein client list and the administration’s settlement with Paramount. The episode concludes on a lifelike version of Trump wandering nude through a desert, presented as a public service announcement—a reference to Trump’s claim the Paramount settlement includes $20 million worth of advertising and PSAs for the administration on CBS.