South Park's 15 Most Controversial Episodes Ranked

One of the most frequently lobbed complaints about "South Park" centers around the show's frequent and gratuitous use of profanity. With episodes like the show's pilot, "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe," it's hard to imagine anyone complaining about the language in any one specific "South Park" episode. But there's always someone around to clutch a few pearls whenever the show breaks a new taboo, as it did in the Season 5 opener "It Hits the Fan" — even if it was ground that had already been broken by the hit medical drama "Chicago Hope" in 1999 ("Vigilance and Care").

In the DVD commentary for the episode, the creators said they were inspired by the perception that profanity in dramatic programs was considered "bold and artistically forward-thinking" while seen as "low-brow" in shows like "South Park." When they approached Comedy Central with designs on using the S-bomb, the network initially nixed the idea but was intrigued when Trey and Matt countered with a rather novel idea: "What if we say it like 200 times?" To drive the point home, they added a counter to track how many times the word was used, coming in at a grand total of 162 times. While the episode generated a few thousand angry emails from the usually anti-"South Park" conservative groups, it wasn't all that controversial in a broader sense, and even garnered praise from many critics for the show's willingness to question the arbitrary nature of Standards and Practices.

Although there once was a time when the lives of British royals were the hottest gossip in town, these days, their relevance is waning. But that hasn't stopped Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle from keeping themselves front and center in the British and American press. After British tabloids did their worst, launching everything from false insinuations about Markle's PornHub activity to racially-charged language about Markle's biracial heritage, the couple made the understandable announcement that they'd be stepping back from public life and moving to the United States. There, they launched into a near-constant stream of interviews and public appearances, including their own Netflix docuseries and a memoir from Harry lamenting their treatment by the royal family — making them a perfect target for "South Park."

"The Worldwide Privacy Tour" revolves around the Prince of Canada and his wife, who happen to be ringers for Meghan and Harry. After burning bridges up north, they move to South Park as part of their rebranding campaign: A Worldwide Privacy Tour that involves a whole lot of claiming victimization while ironically victimizing just about everyone they come into contact with. Like everything Trey and Matt do, the episode is a scalding takedown of what Harry and Meghan's critics characterize as oblivious behavior from a couple mired in privilege. After the episode aired, several sources claimed Markle was "upset and overwhelmed" by the episode and even considering litigation — claims their publicist would later call "baseless" in a statement to People.

As an animated series where no topic is off limits, it should come as no surprise that "South Park" decided to go after pedophiles in "Cartman Joins NAMBLA." The episode in question finds Cartman setting out to replace his friends with a more mature crew. When his online efforts keep leading him to Internet predators, Dr. Mephesto recommends Cartman join NAMBLA, the North American Marlon Brando Look-Alikes.

Although he successfully joins the organization, quickly becoming the group's poster boy, what Cartman doesn't realize is that he's accidentally signed onto the North American Man-Boy Love Association — a real group that does exactly what it sounds like it does. The theme of SA plays heavily into the episode, making for some of the show's most indelicate content — which is really saying something with a show like "South Park." If that wasn't enough for the pearl-clutchers, the episode also features a storyline dealing with Kenny's efforts to abort his expectant mother's pregnancy. Despite the controversial content, the episode was considered a favorite among fans of the series.

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As an equal opportunity offender, "South Park" is pretty clear that everyone is fair game for their target practice — untimely, tragic deaths included. But many viewers felt the series went just a little too far when they poked fun at the horrific death of wildlife expert Steve Irwin. Known as "the Crocodile Hunter," the Australian conservationist, animal lover, and TV star made an international celebrity of himself with his animal-fueled antics, often getting up close and personal with some pretty toothy critters. His upbeat personality and contagious love of animals were responsible for introducing an entire generation to the wonders of wildlife. But while shooting footage for a documentary in 2006, Irwin was suddenly killed in a rare unprovoked stingray barb attack.

"South Park" lampooned the death less than two months later in a brief but shocking gag that featured Irwin as a party guest at Satan's Halloween costume party — stingray barb and all. When it's brought to Satan's attention that the Croc Hunter is out of costume, Irwin is booted from the party, whose other guests include the likes of George Burns and Gandhi. The backlash to the episode was swift, with the BBC reporting that friends of the Irwin family called it "distasteful" while expressing concern about the impact on the Irwin children. 

It's no secret that Hollywood is full of celebrity Scientologists. Although several high-profile celebrities like Leah Remini and Laura Prepon have spoken out against Scientology over the past decade or so, the Church of Scientology frequently targets anyone who questions them, something outlined explicitly in founder L. Ron Hubbard's 1966 policy letter. After a couple of minor volleys at the religion with their short episode "The Gauntlet" and the David Blaine cult ("Super Best Friends"), "South Park" went after Scientology with both barrels in 2005's "Trapped in the Closet."

When Stan learns that he's the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard after a "free personality test," the episode reveals several true Scientology beliefs including the alien Xenu and thetans while airing the disclaimer, "This is what Scientologists actually believe." For music legend Isaac Hayes, who played Chef through many episodes openly mocking Christians, taking aim at Scientology while explicitly calling it "a big fat global scam" was a bridge too far. In a public statement announcing his departure, Hayes said, "There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins." Hayes' son later blamed the church, telling The Hollywood Reporter his dad had recently had a stroke and "really didn't have that much comprehension," emphasizing that "someone quit South Park on Isaac Hayes' behalf. We don't know who."

Vulgar language has always been part of the "South Park" DNA. But many critics of the show felt it crossed a line with the 2007 episode "With Apologies to Jesse Jackson," which used the unfiltered "n-word" a grand total of 43 times. The word initially shows up when Stan's dad Randy is a contestant on "Wheel of Fortune." The category given is "People who annoy you." The correct word is meant to be "naggers," but instead of guessing the missing "A," Randy takes the show in a more unfortunate direction. After Randy's initial gaff, the word gets turned around on him as he finds himself a famous pariah who is mocked and abused for his reputation as "the 'N-word' guy."

While the heavy use of the N-word was shocking enough to generate heavy media attention, with critics like Parent Television Council's L. Brent Bozell claiming the series exploited the controversy that arose when radio host Don Imus dropped an N-bomb while accusing supporters of the show of hypocrisy. But many viewers were quick to point out that the word was used primarily to mock Randy's racism. Appearing on CNN, the co-founders of the group Abolish the N-Word emphasized the importance of the show's message "about the power of this word and how it feels to have hate language directed at you."

If censorship in China ever seemed like a problem distant from the United States borders, that isn't the case anymore — a growing concern "South Park" deftly addressed in the Season 23 episode "Band in China." The episode specifically takes aim at the impact of censorship under the People's Republic of China (PRC) on American companies and media. Although freedom of speech is considered fundamental to the American way of life, more companies have been shaping their content to avoid bans in China and not risk losing out on all that money. In 2016, the PRC released a set of extensive new guidelines for movie content allowed in China banning, among other things, "overt admiration for Western lifestyles," "hedonism," and "putting stars, billionaires or Internet celebrities on pedestals." According to CNN, the list of banned items also includes celebrity kids, time travel, smoking, cleavage, tattoos, men's earrings, and South Koreans.

Tired of the China-friendly caving on free speech, "South Park" hit back hard with "Band in China," which features a host of American brands kowtowing to Xi Jinping's demands in pursuit of a payday. Heavily laden with Chinese contraband like Winnie the Pooh and the Dalai Lama, the episode was deemed so offensive by China's censors that it got "South Park" permanently banned from the nation and scrubbed from the Chinese Internet.

Guest starring Radiohead as themselves, "Scott Tenorman Must Die" deals with the antagonistic relationship between Cartman and an older student named Scott Tenorman, who has the misfortune of getting on Eric's bad side. The drama begins when Scott sells Cartman a handful of pubes, claiming they'll help kickstart puberty. On the Season 5 audio commentary, Matt and Trey state that they originally believed the episode wouldn't be that good since they'd been working a lot and running out of ideas. But simplifying the episode and honing in on Cartman's depraved personality proved a winning move, as "Scott Tenorman" went on to become a favorite among critics and fans.

Inspired by a "Tom and Jerry" type back-and-forth, the fighting between Scott and Cartman increasingly escalates, culminating in Cartman killing and feeding Scott his parents in a move straight out of Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" before licking the teen's tears in celebration. Although fans loved it, Trey and Matt debated whether they should go that dark, since having a kid — even a kid as sociopathic as Cartman — serve a teen his own parents is pretty heavy material. For Cartman, the episode proved only the beginning of his reign of terror.