South Park Fans Are Thrown Off By The Absence Of Jimmy's Stutter In Season 26
Fans praised the "South Park" Season 26 premiere's classic feel after the episode first aired on February 8, 2023. Whereas more recent seasons have tended to draw out longer term storylines across multiple episodes, a number of viewers particularly enjoyed that Season 26, Episode 1 stands on its own. Furthermore, some fans online shared their appreciation for the fact that main characters like Cartman (Trey Parker), Stan (also Parker), and Kyle (Matt Stone) all act similarly to the ways they would at the series' start.
Among some of the most popular characters on "South Park," rivaling even the popularity of the members of its main group, is Jimmy Valmer (likewise voiced by Parker). Jimmy is a stand-up comic and eternal optimist, contrasting with many of the more cynical personalities of the rest of the series' principal characters. Some "South Park" fans want to see a Jimmy episode where he tries medical marijuana to treat his cerebral palsy symptoms, given that this is a real-life treatment with potential to fuel the signature "South Park" brand of humor.
Jimmy appears in "South Park" Season 26, Episode 3 as a companion to Stan, whose dad is the episode's focus. Some viewers, however, were thrown off by the fact that a stutter that typically affects Jimmy's speech now seems to be absent from Season 26 entirely.
Fans think Jimmy sounds like another character Trey Parker voices without his stutter
After Jimmy first appeared in "South Park" Season 26, Episode 3, a number of fans online questioned the fact that he no longer seems to stutter when he speaks. For example, Twitter users @nlightenedone and @BESSONSBASSETT both shared this observation accompanied by the series' hashtag.
Meanwhile in a discussion thread about the episode on Reddit, multiple users posted similar comments. For instance, in a comment that was upvoted more than 65 times, user SnoozeDayBlueJay succinctly wrote, "Jimmy lost his stutter." In response, user xsanctom argued that he now sounds similar to Cartman. Meanwhile, user goodatcounting123 replied that they hope the series addresses this supposed change at some point. That said, user jono0120 proposed that his vocal cadence wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
In another comment in this same thread, user ImMitchConner wrote, "Only problem I have lately is Jimmy doesn't seem to stutter anymore and doesn't sound the same." User MrAgility888 then replied that they too found his voice to sound similar to Cartman's in this episode.
For the time being, it's unclear whether Trey Parker simply altered his approach to voicing Jimmy, or his character is undergoing some sort of change. In any case, this apparent development has drawn plenty of fans' attention, whether or not it's ever accompanied by an explanation.