'South Park' Sarcastically Apologizes To China After Country Bans Show
Looks like Comedy Central’s “South Park” is no laughing matter to the Chinese government, which the satirical animated series heavily criticized in its episode last week.
In the episode, “Band In China,” a Hollywood producer trying to make a biopic about the metal band led by Stan, one of the show’s main characters, not to mention the Dalai Lama, homosexuality, or Winnie the Pooh so that the movie wouldn’t be censored by the Chinese government.
Turns out, the episode was prescient ― Chinese government censors have now deleted every “South Park” clip, episode and online discussion found on Chinese streaming services, social media and even fan pages.
Although the show has not been officially released in China, a small but loyal fan base has enjoyed pirated versions for years.
One WeChat page dedicated to South Park announced on Saturday that it would stop posting links to the show’s latest episodes, according to Inkstone News. “As Chinese citizens, we also need to follow Chinese laws and regulations,” the page said in a message to fans. “Hope everyone can stay rational.”
South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone responded to the censorship with a hilariously snarky apology tweet that put everything into perspective (and took a shot at the National Basketball Association, which finds itself in the middle of a controversy with China).
Watch the full episode - https://t.co/oktKSJdI9i@THR article - https://t.co/nXrtmnwCJB pic.twitter.com/Xj5a1yE2eL
— South Park (@SouthPark) October 7, 2019
As you might have expected, many Twitter users appreciated the shade...
— 🇺🇸The Dude Abides🇺🇸 (@jeffreylbragg) October 7, 2019
When it takes Eric Cartman to shame you, You know it's Wrong. pic.twitter.com/8OFFFeyTrH
— Patrick (@patricksp71) October 7, 2019
The Chinese Communist Party when they see Matt Stone and Trey Parker enter China pic.twitter.com/8cFMv2zsNd
— sharia board 👳🏻♂️👻🎃 (@SirajAHashmi) October 7, 2019
But some people had one nagging question....
🇺🇸🦅 pic.twitter.com/omGm8XUwdP
— 🦅🇺🇸Big League🇺🇸🦅 (@magaman360) October 7, 2019
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.