Following the murder of popular conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a recent episode of the long-running TV show “South Park” has been pulled from broadcast. However, it is still available via streaming.
Here’s what we know.
Kirk, 31, was shot dead Wednesday in front of a crowd gathered at his signature “Prove Me Wrong” tent during an “American Comeback” tour stop at Utah Valley University. Authorities announced Friday that they had apprehended his alleged killer, 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson. During his college stops Kirk, founder of the Turning Point USA group, would invite people to debate him. He was answering debate questions when he was hit.
His passing was met with shock and outrage, especially among conservative political and media personalities. President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death and Vice President JD Vance helped bring his coffin to the young husband and father’s home state of Arizona.
In August, Kirk posted on Facebook that he heard an upcoming episode of “South Park” – a cartoon known for skewering current events – would allude to him. Specifically, he said they would use the character of Eric Cartman to portray him.
“Apparently, Cartman is playing Charlie Kirk on the next episode of South Park...” said Kirk. “I’m so watching this.”
Clips of the episode, which is titled “Got a Nut” and aired Aug. 6, show Cartman styled as Kirk in a similar tent. It also portrayed Cartman, like Kirk, as a conservative podcaster and even mentioned a “Charlie Kirk Awards” show.
Both Kirk and “South Park” have reputations for being controversial. Audacy reported this summer on “South Park” getting heat for its depiction of Trump, and Collider published a whole list of banned episodes from its nearly 30-year history in August.
After the Aug. 6 episode aired, Kirk praised it in a TikTok video.
“Okay everybody, the ‘South Park’ episode just dropped, and honestly it is hilarious,” he said. “I mean part of it was kind of… whatever, typical humor. But it was hilarious.”
Kirk said he was happy to see the depiction of the “Prove Me Wrong” booths on primetime Comedy Central. He said it was proof of their “cultural domination,” and said it seemed like the “South Park” team has been watching his videos, noting that they cited the right Bible verses.
“We need to have a good spirit about being made fun of,” Kirk said. “This is all a success, this is all a win.”
ABC News reported this week that “Got a Nut” would be pulled from Comedy Central syndication following Kirk’s death but that it was still streaming on Paramount+. According to the outlet, the episode was supposed to rerun Wednesday night.