LOS ANGELES, USA – Popular animated sitcom South Park has achieved a major viewership milestone with its highly anticipated Season 27 premiere, which heavily targeted President Donald Trump. The episode, titled “Sermon on the ‘Mount’,” broke a record set in 1999, according to Paramount’s announcement on Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
In its first three days of availability (July 24-26), the Season 27 premiere garnered an impressive 5.9 million viewers across the Comedy Central cable channel and the Paramount+ streaming service. This makes “Sermon on the ‘Mount'” the biggest linear premiere for the long-running animated series since 1999, and its “best season premiere rating since 2022.”
Series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone took aim directly at Donald Trump and even poked fun at Comedy Central’s parent company, Paramount Global, in the satirical episode. The show controversially depicted Trump in a manner similar to how it once portrayed Saddam Hussein, including a suggestive sexual relationship with Satan.
The episode’s bold content quickly drew criticism from the White House, with a spokesperson stating that South Park has not been “relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.” Despite the official dismissal, the episode’s impact on social media was undeniable. Comedy Central highlighted that the Season 27 premiere was the “most social episode” in the series’ history and the “most social program across all TV” on its release day, trending on X (formerly Twitter) for over 12 hours.
Beyond the raw viewership numbers, the episode scored a 0.996 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic, marking its highest demo rating since 2022 and a 15% jump over its last season’s debut. On IMDb, “Sermon on the ‘Mount'” received an impressive 9.6 out of 10 stars, significantly higher than the 7.3 stars of Season 26’s first episode.
This successful return comes after Parker and Stone signed an extended deal with Paramount Global for as many as 50 new episodes of South Park. The deal, reportedly valued at $300 million a year over the next five years, also stipulates that the entire South Park library will be moved to Paramount+ for the first time, consolidating its streaming home.
Following its record-breaking start, South Park is now gearing up for its second episode. While the show is known for its fast turnaround, Episode 2 has been delayed and is now scheduled to air on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. It will be available for streaming on Paramount+ the following day.