From controversial athletes to disgraced celebrities, South Park has an uncanny ability to spot problematic figures before their downfall. Join us as we explore how this animated series predicted or called out various public figures who later proved the show right through their actions and controversies.
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00:00He's still looking good with all those set sandwiches.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at instances where South Park warned us either
00:11intentionally or inadvertently about people who have gained bad reputations.
00:17It's time for me to stop running.
00:19I need to believe what people tell me.
00:21Barry Bonds.
00:23Learning a valuable lesson, Jimmy condemns athletes who use steroids with Mark McGuire,
00:28Barry Bonds, and Jason Giambi ironically in the background.
00:33The truth is, I haven't been playing fair either.
00:35I've been using steroids.
00:38I was willing to do anything to be the best, and the steroids may be blind to the people
00:42I was hurting.
00:42While all three MLB players would be embroiled in doping scandals, Bonds' image arguably
00:48got hit the hardest.
00:50In addition to performance-enhancing allegations, Bonds was indicted for perjury.
00:54Found guilty of obstruction of justice, Bonds' sentence included probation, community service,
01:00and house arrest, although the conviction was overturned.
01:03The issue hasn't been what they achieved, but how they achieved it.
01:12We know exactly what he did.
01:14We know the extent to which he used the drugs.
01:16We know the way the drugs changed dramatically, the numbers and his performance.
01:21Despite maintaining his innocence, Bonds acknowledged that he wasn't very sportsman-like, saying in
01:272016,
01:28Reflecting on the episode, Trey Parker said,
01:36This was like way before people were calling out Barry Bonds.
01:40So I'm pretty proud of that.
01:43Rob Schneider
01:44Matt Stone and Trey Parker dedicated an entire episode to so-called medium John Edward depicting
01:51him as a phony.
01:52Look, what I do doesn't hurt anybody.
01:53I give people closure and help them cope with life.
01:56No, you give them false hope and a belief in something that isn't real.
01:58While numerous skeptics share the same views on Edward, the episode is more recognized for
02:03its portrayal of Rob Schneider.
02:05The real Schneider thought the parody was hilarious, and if releasing terrible comedies to the public
02:11were his worst offense, he wouldn't be on our list.
02:14It was the guys from South Park did an episode, which was very funny.
02:19In recent years, though, Schneider has become infamous for spreading baseless conspiracy
02:23theories, misinformation about vaccines, and hate speech towards marginalized groups, most
02:30notably transgender people.
02:32Those are just some reasons Schneider's daughter Elle King is at odds with him.
02:36With many fans turning on Schneider as well, maybe he's become worthier of John Edwards' title.
02:43Rob Schneider is da-durpty-durpty-durpty-durpty-durpty-durpty-durpty.
02:48Caitlyn Jenner.
02:50Jenner has been a prominent South Park figure since season 19 when Kyle questions if she's
02:56truly a hero.
02:57Your son said some things to a fourth grade girl that frankly make me want to puke.
03:01Now that I'm principal, I'm not going to allow anyone at the school to be made feel unsafe
03:04and harassed. What did he say? You'll have to excuse my language. I don't think Caitlyn Jenner
03:13is a hero. Under PC pressure, Kyle concludes that coming out as transgender was brave. That
03:19doesn't necessarily mean Jenner is a good person, however. This is reflected in the following
03:24episode, addressing Jenner's real-life car crash that claimed a life. Buckle up, buckaroo.
03:30She settled without jail time in what could be chalked up to a horrible accident. But Jenner's
03:38former supporters have struggled to justify her recent behavior. This includes standing against
03:43trans girls in female sports. Just as her South Park counterpart became Garrison's running mate,
03:49Jenner later endorsed Trump and ran for office herself. Yet many feel Jenner's political views
03:55contradict the message of acceptance she once preached.
03:59Well, do I look presidential? Honestly, you look 20 years younger.
04:04Mama June Shannon. This Emmy-winning episode questions how low the standards for humanity
04:10have plummeted using Here Comes Honey Boo Boo as a point of reference.
04:15Her favorite foods are skeddy and butter, and she likes drinking Red Bull and Mountain Dew.
04:20South Park depicts matriarch Mama June Shannon as a shameless reality TV mom who passes the same values
04:28or lack thereof to her daughter. Parker and Stone weren't the first to question Shannon's parenting
04:34capabilities. The plot thickened two years later when news broke Shannon was dating a registered sex
04:41offender who harmed daughter Anna. This later led to the show's cancellation, but Mama June still found
04:56work on TV. June's substance use persisted though, leading to legal issues. This contributed to her
05:03strained relationship with Alana Honey Boo Boo Thompson, who has tried getting away from her mama's
05:09drama as an adult.
05:10If Mama wants to have like a relationship with me, she needs to pay me back, because one thing I don't do
05:16is I don't hang around no thief that gonna steal my money now.
05:19Mel Gibson. When Mel Gibson made The Passion of the Christ, some deemed him a profound
05:24mistake. And Artur with a meaningful message to share.
05:27How do you feel like? I can't lie, as I can't eat. Others, like Stone and Parker, questioned what was going on in this guy's head.
05:53The show's daffy portrayal of Gibson grew more relevant with time as the Oscar-winner
05:58became engulfed in numerous legal troubles and public relations nightmares.
06:12By the time Gibson was implicated in a domestic violence case, few saw a path forward for
06:18the once-celebrated actor and filmmaker.
06:20That said, Gibson's career would rebound with him going on to score another Oscar nomination
06:26for Hacksaw Ridge.
06:28His comeback shocked some, but even the South Park creators admit that Gibson knows story
06:33structure.
06:34Otherwise, say what you will about him.
06:37That's not a bad idea.
06:39Yeah, say what you want about Mel Gibson, but the son of a bitch knows story structure.
06:43Ira Einhorn
06:44Earth Day brainwashing organization leader Jack Farlas is so committed to saving the planet
06:50that he's willing to cause anyone who stands in his way physical pain, namely Kenny.
06:55But I warn you, you better not promise things to Earth Day people that you can't deliver.
07:00Earth Day people can be very unforgiving.
07:05No problem.
07:07Although Farlas is fictional, he's based on Ira Einhorn, who helped popularize Earth Day.
07:12In addition to sharing a physical resemblance, complete with a ponytail, Einhorn and Farlas
07:18have a history of violence.
07:20In the late 70s, Einhorn was accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Holly Maddox, fleeing to
07:26Europe before he could face trial.
07:27I can remember saying to the DA, he's gone.
07:31They served a subpoena, wasn't there.
07:34Then we went over to the location and saw everything was gone.
07:37By the 90s, Einhorn's name had fallen into obscurity.
07:41Following an arrest in 1997, though, Einhorn was extradited to the U.S. on July 20th, 2001,
07:48two days after this episode aired.
07:51Einhorn was sentenced to life in prison, dying in 2020.
07:55Einhorn was eventually brought back to Philadelphia, where he was convicted for the murder.
08:00The cause of death is not yet known, but we're told it's not related to the virus outbreak.
08:05Kanye West.
08:06When South Park dished out its Fish Sticks episode in 2009, Kanye West was already gaining
08:13a reputation for his impulsive behavior.
08:16Just doesn't make any sense, yo.
08:18Why is everyone calling me a gay fish?
08:20Kanye, look, we all think it would be better if you would just drop it.
08:24You know, I mean, if you don't get it, you don't get it.
08:26What do you mean I don't get it, House?
08:28I'm a genius.
08:29I don't understand it.
08:30I just need to break it down is all.
08:32It wasn't until West interrupted Taylor Swift's VMA speech later that year,
08:36people realized just how spot on South Park was.
08:40The yay saga has only gotten more erratic over time,
08:44from his offensive comments on slavery,
08:46to his attempt to break into politics,
08:48to his Nazi ideals.
08:50I think there's a left agenda to silence anyone that goes against the agenda.
09:00The fish thing might have been a joke, but even South Park couldn't make all this up.
09:05Yet the show's portrayal of yay only seems to become more accurate every year.
09:09Part of that may be mental health related,
09:12although some argue that yay's bipolar diagnosis doesn't absolve him of hate speech.
09:18Uh-huh. Uh-huh, that's right. Uh-oh.
09:21R. Kelly.
09:22Before the trapped in the closet episode,
09:25R. Kelly's alleged crimes were the music industry's worst kept secret,
09:29if you could even call it a secret by 2005.
09:32I was just standing here,
09:34and Tom Cruise locked himself in the closet.
09:37And I asked myself,
09:38why won't Tom Cruise just come out the closet?
09:41But nobody has no answers.
09:43And so I pull out my gun!
09:46Tell me why Tom Cruise in the closet or else I'm gonna shoot someone!
09:50Many turned a blind eye to the R. Kelly stories, but not South Park.
09:55Three years after the show depicted the singer as a loose cannon
09:57who endangers those around him,
09:59Kelly was acquitted of the charges against him.
10:02but was acquitted in 2008
10:04when the girl and her family denied Jane was in the video.
10:08Amid the hashtag MeToo movement
10:09and the surviving R. Kelly documentary,
10:12law enforcement revisited the decades of accusations.
10:16This led to Kelly's arrest and conviction,
10:18with the artist currently serving a 31-year combined sentence.
10:22When people look back at the various episodes
10:24that warned us about R. Kelly,
10:26South Park stands out as one of the most quotable examples.
10:30Why won't you both just come out the closet?
10:32And they said,
10:33We're not coming out the closet.
10:36So you can just go away.
10:39But everyone wants you out the closet.
10:41That doesn't matter because we're gonna stay.
10:43Now I'm starting to get angry.
10:45So I pull out my gun!
10:47P. Diddy
10:49Best remembered for this Season 8 episode,
10:51P. Diddy's Vote or Die campaign,
10:53or Citizen Change,
10:55might sound like something South Park fabricated.
10:58Puff Daddy?
10:58P. Your friend Kyle told me you don't understand the importance of voting.
11:03P. I...
11:04P. Apparently you haven't heard of my Vote or Die campaign.
11:07It was all too real, however.
11:09South Park got more right about Diddy than the creators likely expected.
11:14Just as his caricature threatened Stan,
11:16the real Diddy has since been linked to more than 100 cases of abuse,
11:20some involving minors.
11:22Amid the accusations,
11:24people couldn't help but think about South Park's parody.
11:26They also looked back to another episode where Satan asks,
11:29Dammit, what didn't Diddy do?
11:31It's a question we've been asking a lot lately,
11:33wondering how this case can possibly become more surreal or troubling.
11:38The most prognostic parts?
11:40Diddy was arrested on September 16th, 2024,
11:43right before National Voter Registration Day.
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12:02Jared Fogle
12:03The former Subway spokesman might have seemed like an odd target for South Park in 2002.
12:10After a year of eating delicious sub sandwiches,
12:13I've proven weight loss is easy.
12:15Of course, we guess that was part of the joke.
12:18Jared Fogle appeared to be a good role model and an all-around beloved figure.
12:22Surely, he'd be the last person society would turn against.
12:26A lot can change over 13 years.
12:29In 2015, Fogle's history of inappropriate and criminal behavior with children came to light.
12:35Today, Fogle came to court to accept a plea deal.
12:37Instead of serving as much as 50 years,
12:40he'll likely spend between 5 and 12 and a half years in prison.
12:43Jared Fogle expects to go to prison.
12:46He will do his time.
12:48He expects to get well.
12:50He expects to continue to make amends to those people whose lives he has affected.
12:55Unlike his downfall in South Park, this wasn't one big misunderstanding.
13:00Fogle pleaded guilty being sentenced to more than a decade and a half in prison.
13:05The episode thus took on a whole new level of commentary.
13:09South Park has since done other Jared parodies,
13:12and now citizens have a legitimate reason to fear him.
13:15Did we miss anyone else South Park was right about?
13:20Let us know in the comments.
13:35Let us know in the comments.