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The adult cartoon South Park is no stranger to controversy, and it never holds back punches. This is why it’s landed itself on the news countless times for its profanity, boundary-pushing humor, and of course, its satirization of famous people.

From authors like George R.R. Martin to socialites like Paris Hilton and athletes such as Brian Boitano, South Park has parodied celebrities across various backgrounds and industries. While many of these famous people have taken the jokes in stride, others have been less than happy with their South Park depictions. And in some cases, they even got angry about episodes that had nothing to do with them.

On this list, we’ve compiled some of the angriest reactions from famous people, including instances where their anger was warranted, as well as times when a celebrity’s reaction seemingly proved the show’s point.

10

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

Season 26, Episode 2 – “The Worldwide Privacy Tour”

When Kyle tries out CumHammer Brand Management, he doesn’t expect to run into his new, loud neighbors, the Prince and Princess of Canada. The couple is at odds with Kyle, claiming that, by complaining about their noisiness, he is victimizing them and violating their privacy. Eventually, Kyle convinces the Prince that there are more important things than his image, and the two go outside to play with Kyle’s friends. The Princess, however, decides to stay at the brand management company, far more concerned with how she’s perceived than who she actually is.

A Not-So Private Response

“The Worldwide Privacy Tour” was one of the highlights of South Park in the early 2020s. The episode poked fun at the real-life Duke and Duchess’s insistence that they wanted privacy when they continuously put themselves in the spotlight. According to reports, Meghan was “annoyed” by the episode and refused to watch it. To be fair, there are reasons to argue that Meghan and Harry’s depiction was unfair or at least didn’t tell the full story. Additionally, other rumors about their reaction, such as their plans to sue the show, were ultimately proven untrue.

9

Jennifer Lopez

Season 7, Episode 5 – “Fat Butt and Pancake Head”

During Season 7’s episode “Fat Butt and Pancake Head,” Cartman’s hand, now named Jennifer Lopez, becomes a famous singer and replaces the human version, much to the latter’s displeasure. Things get even worse when human-J. Lo’s fiancé, Ben Affleck, falls in love with the hand, which Cartman claims has a mind of its own. In the end, Cartman’s hand is revealed to be a conman named Mitch Conner, and in a double-twist, Cartman then reveals that he made everything up and that he actually controlled the hand. Whether or not this is true is debatable, but Jennifer Lopez’s angry reaction seems to have been very real.

Not Loving the Episode

According to Trey Parker, shortly after the episode aired, he heard that the staff behind one of Jennifer Lopez’s movies were making jokes about how they loved tacos (something the hand-character claimed to love). Angered, Lopez fired them, but the taunts about tacos continued. We can certainly understand why this might have upset her, especially given the joke’s racial connotations. At the same time, rumors about her reaction only helped fuel comparisons with the equally angry South Park character.

8

Nick Jonas

Season 13, Episode 1 – “The Ring”

2009’s episode “The Ring” begins with a thrilled Kenny learning of his new girlfriend Tammy’s “excitement” toward the Jonas Brothers. To his dismay, after the two attend one of their concerts, she starts wearing a purity ring. Behind the scenes, Nick, Joe, and Kevin are being forced by Mickey Mouse to promote these rings in order to sell sex to their fans. In the end, Kenny’s friends are able to expose the mouse and stop the scheme, but in real life, things were a lot trickier for the bandmates.

Rings a Bell

While not much is known of Kevin’s reaction to the episode, Nick wasn’t initially a fan. According to a Reddit AMA, he found “The Ring” unfunny since it resembled his real life at the time. Fortunately, the episode has since grown on him, likely because he’s since escaped that lifestyle. Plus, Nick’s brother, Joe, has been a fan of the episode from the start.

7

Sally Struthers

Season 1, Episode 8 – “Starvin’ Marvin”

Actress Sally Struthers is an important character in both “Starvin’ Marvin” and the Thanksgiving episode “Starvin’ Marvin in Space.” In the former episode, she appears in a commercial about a charity organization (similar to commercials for the Christian Children’s Fund, of which she was a spokesperson). Later, it’s revealed that she’s stealing food from said charity. In “Starvin’ Marvin in Space,” she shows up once again, this time as a Jabba the Hutt-esque figure. She winds up helping the boys return to Earth after they take Marvin and his friends to Marklar. While a heroic ending, the character (understandably) didn’t go over well with the woman on whom she was based.

No Longer a Fan

Unlike other entries on this list, this episode seems to primarily be a jab at Struthers’ weight as opposed to commentary on her behaviors or personality. Many fans spoke out against the portrayal as being in poor taste. Sadly, Struthers appears to have been a fan of South Park before “Starvin’ Marvin,” with Trey Parker sharing that he heard the episode made her cry.

6

Ed Sheeran

Season 9, Episode 11 – “Ginger Kids”

When Cartman wakes up with red hair and freckles, he decides that Ginger kids deserve to be treated better (…even though he previously harassed them). What follows is a Nazi-style takeover in which the Ginger kids torment their former tormentors, culminating in them kidnapping the other children and planning to sacrifice them in a lava pit. Before he can kill Kyle, the “Daywalker” shares that Cartman isn’t actually a Ginger, but rather, the victim of their prank. Now realizing that he’ll be killed, too, Cartman tells the other Gingers to focus on peace and getting along instead of violence, leading to a moment of reconciliation for the children that was too little too late for singer Ed Sheeran.

Red With Anger

Ed Sheeran is unique on this list in that he wasn’t actually being mocked in the episode that upset him. Rather, “Ginger Kids” was spoofing the idea of Gingers being weird and creepy, stereotypes which Sheeran had experienced firsthand growing up. In an interview, he said that the episode “ruined his life,” causing prejudice against Gingers in the US to rise. While such prejudice is indeed real, Sheeran faced ridicule for his response due to its intensity.

5

Barbra Streisand

Multiple Episodes

First appearing in Season 1’s “Mecha-Streisand,” Barbra Streisand has been a staple background character in many episodes, including the Halloween episode “Spookyfish.” Whether she’s destroying the town or having her face used for “Spooky Vision,” her inclusion in the episodes is always antagonistic, or at least unflattering. At first, these jabs toward Streisand may appear random, but the reasoning behind these seemingly nonsensical jokes has a long and complicated history.

The Streisand Effect

According to Matt Stone and Trey Parker, most of their celebrity parodies are meant in good fun. However, this isn’t the case with Barbra Streisand. After a constitutional amendment limiting the protections of gay people passed in Colorado, Streisand apparently called Coloradans a “bunch of hicks,” which Matt and Trey didn’t appreciate. This led to her inclusion in “Mecha-Streisand,” and after she angrily spoke out against her portrayal, the duo had all the ammo they needed to feature the celebrity once again.

4

Tom Cruise

Season 9, Episode 12 – “Trapped in the Closet”

“Trapped in the Closet” revolves around Stan after it’s determined that he’s L. Ron Hubbard, reincarnated. Scientologist Tom Cruise is excited to meet him, until Stan makes a disappearing remark about Cruise’s acting, leading to Cruise hiding in the closet (a not-so-subtle suggestion that he might be gay). Soon, Stan learns that the Church of Scientology is first and foremost concerned with making money, and when he calls out the Church for its greed, Cruise and other celebrities threaten to sue him. While a funny jab at the Church’s history of litigation, the scene would hint at real-life events to come.

Closetgate

The fallout stemming from “Closetgate” is difficult to verify, but allegedly, Cruise was so upset by his depiction that he threatened not to participate in the publicity tour for Mission: Impossible III, which, like South Park, was a Viacom property. Although Cruise’s rep denied these allegations, the episode was pulled from the air, seemingly suggesting the rumor was true. Funnily enough, this controversy only attracted more attention to South Park, and ultimately, the controversial episode returned to broadcast.

3

Isaac Hayes… Only Not Really, It Turns Out

Allegedly, Tom Cruise wasn’t the only famous person upset over “Trapped in the Closet.” For years, it was believed that voice actor Isaac Hayes, who played the beloved character Chef, left the show over its depiction of Scientology. However, Hayes’ son had been adamant that his father, who suffered a stroke shortly after the episode aired, wasn’t behind the decision at all. Rather, it was the Church of Scientology who forced Hayes to resign, leaving us angry on his behalf.

Correcting the Rumors

It was probably misleading to use Hayes’ name in this entry when the angered party was actually the Church of Scientology. However, fans are more familiar with the erroneous story about Hayes, and we wanted to draw attention to it being false. Hopefully, this information can help clear up what actually happened, partly to restore Chef’s legacy, and more importantly, to avenge Hayes’ own.

2

The Government of China

Season 23, Episode 2 – “Band in China”

“Band in China” begins with Randy in China trying to sell weed while Stan is trying to make it big with his band. Randy soon gets arrested and is sent to a work camp, while Stan is offered a movie deal, but it will require censoring his band’s story. The episode ends with Randy sacrificing his “tegridy” in order to expand his business while Stan holds onto his own but loses his movie deal. Ironically, the episode “Band in China” got South Park banned in China, literally proving the creators’ point about the country’s over-the-top censorship.

Other World Leaders

Like “the Church of Scientology,” maybe “the government of China” is a little vague to include on this list as a famous person. But after a reaction this drastic, can you really blame us for putting it on the list? Plus, China isn’t the only large entity to ban or otherwise negatively react to South Park, with several radical Islamist groups threatening violence after the episodes “200” and “201” and multiple Catholic leaders trying to censor “Bloody Mary.” Basically, South Park has a real knack for mocking world leaders—and some of them absolutely deserve it.

1

President Donald Trump

Season 27, Episode 1 – “Sermon on the ‘Mount”

Earlier this week, Season 27 of South Park premiered with what might go down as its most controversial—and necessary—satire yet. The episode “Sermon on the ‘Mount” follows Cartman and Stan as they try to make sense of the new anti-Woke culture at school, with Cartman feeling like he’s lost his anti-Woke purpose and Stan not understanding how things have changed so drastically. Soon, the rest of the town is asking the same question, and they go to Garrison demanding answers. Only, Garrison is no longer President of the US. Instead, it’s the Satan-dating, small-membered, Saddam Hussein-esque Donald Trump.

An Important Sermon

To be fair, Trump hasn’t publicly come out against the episode yet, but we’re expecting the social media meltdown to hit any day now. Already, we have a glimpse into his thoughts on “Sermon on the ‘Mount” courtesy of White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers, who referred to South Park as a “fourth-rate show.” Respectfully, or maybe not, we disagree; “Sermon on the ‘Mount” is a first-rate episode that spotlights many of the issues within the current Trump administration. Hopefully, it will serve as a wake-up call regarding anti-Wokeness and authoritarian rule, reminding viewers that rich, famous people aren’t above criticism. And should we find one of these powerful people in bed with the devil, all of us have a responsibility to call them out.