Charlie Kirk, a conservative pundit and the founder of Turning Point USA, has embraced South Park’s parody of him in the upcoming second of episode of the long-running show’s 27th season.
In a fresh teaser for the episode’s release on August 6, South Park Studios aired a clip of iconic South Park character Eric Cartman having a heated spat with a classmate – a scene that bears a close resemblance to Kirk’s takedown of a Cambridge student in May.
“You can just shut up, Bebe, because you hate America and you love abortion,” Cartman shouts at fellow student Bebe Stevens in the cartoon clip.
Kirk, who is the founder of Turning Point USA – a conservative youth activist organization – has been on his “American Comeback Tour” lobbying for President Trump across America’s top universities since January.
Speaking with Fox News, Kirk discussed the new South Park series: “Honestly, my first reaction is that I kinda laughed.”
The MAGA pundit said he had been a fan of the show “his entire life,” and was a particularly big fan during his high school days.
“They’re going to obviously make fun of me […] but I think it’s kind of funny and it kind of goes to show the cultural impact and the resonance that our movement has been able to achieve,” he added.
Kirk said he couldn’t believe the skit at first and thought it was “an AI troll.”
“We as conservatives should be able to take a joke, we shouldn’t take ourselves so seriously – that’s something that the left has always done,” he said, calling it a “great detriment to them and the movement.”
Last week, the creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, issued a sarcastic apology to Trump after he was left “seething” over a cartoon that depicted him cosying up in bed with Satan.
“We’re terribly sorry,” Parker said in a deadpan manner at the Comic-Con Comedy Central Animation panel on July 23.
The White House issued a stark response to the episode, with spokesperson Taylor Rogers slamming the “hypocrisy of the Left.”
“Just like the creators of South Park, the Left has no authentic or original content, which is why their popularity continues to hit record lows,” Rogers said.
The animated comedy series kicked off its 27th season on July 23, just days after it signed $1.5 billion deal with Paramount.
Despite its negative depiction of Trump, the satirical show has proved to be a hit with fans, even Kirk, who swapped his X profile picture with a screenshot of Cartman and told his 5 million followers, “I’m so watching this.”
In June, Kirk told a 14-year-old girl at his Young Women’s Leadership Summit in Grapevine, Texas, that her main reason to attend college should be to find a husband. The high school freshman asked for his “pros and cons” on attending college, mentioning her aspiration for a career in political journalism.
Kirk, who dropped out of community college in Chicago, encouraged her to go for an “MRS degree” – a slang term for someone who attends a university to find a spouse.
The Independent contacted Turning Point USA for comment.
