George Clooney's Friendship With The South Park Creators Isn't Strained By Their Jokes
The nature of the satirical black comedy in "South Park" consistently leaves no celebrity or person safe from their hilarious and provocative jokes. The series often pokes fun at self-serious Hollywood stars in a ridiculous fashion, many of whom arguably deserve the scrutiny. However, not all of these famous folks are teased out of ill will, as some are lovingly joked about by the citizens of South Park.
Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney is most known for his work on the 2013 Best Picture winner "Argo" and for the leading role in The Coen Brothers' "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" What's less known about the esteemed multi-talented star is that he's actually friends with "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Naturally, this leads to more than a few appearances of both Clooney's likeness and his voice, as he was integral to lifting the animated hit in its early days (via Far Out Magazine).
Clooney frequently flocks to team-up flicks like the universally divisive "Batman & Robin" and the romantic adventure "Ticket to Paradise" with Julia Roberts. The decorated actor thrives in collaborations, many of which are with his closest friends. This tends to produce heartwarming work and even makes the jokes about him funnier in Parker and Stone's ludicrous portrayals.
Clooney would be more offended if he wasn't teased by his friends
One of the funniest instances of the "South Park" creators teasing their beloved friend is in Season 10 Episode 2, "Smug Alert!" The episode follows the town's latest trend of purchasing hybrid Prius cars to limit carbon emissions. Unfortunately, rather than reduce pollution, the citizens of South Park create even more with their smug attitudes resulting in an enormous smog cloud. The culprit behind starting the toxic smoke is none other than George Clooney and his 2006 Oscar acceptance speech, which some found a little too cringe-worthy (via Reddit).
Clooney remains a good sport and even shares his critical involvement with the early days of "South Park" at Far Out Magazine: "Those guys, they're friends of mine. I helped them get their show on the air and was Sparky the gay dog and was in their South Park movie. Part of the fun about being up here is that we get to be objects of that." Clooney was even featured in Trey Parker and Matt Stone's puppeteer satire "Team America: World Police" with his likeness replicated onto an uncanny and socially aware doll.
Given their closeness and Clooney's involvement with "South Park," he had an unsurprising viewpoint. He takes the fun jabs as a compliment rather than anything resembling a mean-spirited nature. "I must say I would've been offended if I wasn't in it," he said as he approved his silly depiction.