Episode 5 of the new South Park season, titled “Conflict of Interest,” aired Wednesday night and quickly stirred controversy by mocking Jimmy Kimmel’s nearly week-long suspension and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s controversial remarks.

Brendan Carr’s Controversial Remarks

In reality, Carr appeared on Benny Johnson’s podcast on September 17—just two days after Kimmel mentioned the fatal shooting tied to Charlie Kirk during his monologue. Carr suggested that media companies might need to “change conduct and take action” or face more scrutiny from the FCC. His comments sparked immediate backlash and accusations of political interference in ABC’s decision to sideline Kimmel.

South Park’s Absurd Take

In the episode, Carr becomes the butt of the joke as he repeatedly falls into President Trump’s traps, from being lured into the basement to confront Satan, to ending up in a hospital where doctors warn he may “lose his freedom of speech” if a toxoplasmosis parasite reaches his brain.

The climax comes when fictional Vice President JD Vance insists Satan’s unborn child must be stopped to protect his own political future. Vance throws Carr’s real-life words back at him: “We can do this the easy way, or we can do it the hard way.”

Jimmy Kimmel’s Triumphant Return

Despite the controversy, Disney announced Kimmel’s return on September 22. His comeback episode the following night drew 6.26 million viewers—a personal record—even though it was blacked out on some ABC affiliates, representing about 23% of U.S. households.

Online, the impact was even bigger: Kimmel’s return monologue has already amassed over 19 million views on YouTube as of September 25.

Cultural and Political Impact

The episode shows that South Park hasn’t lost its edge: blending dark humor and absurd storylines to spotlight hot-button issues of politics, media, and free speech. Meanwhile, the real-life Kimmel-Carr controversy continues to fuel debate over the boundaries of free expression, government oversight, and political pressure on broadcasters.