Former MLB player Jesús Montero, who was once referred to by New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman as “the best player I’ve traded,” died Sunday from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident earlier this month. He was 35.
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League reported Montero’s passing on social media, referring to the power-hitting catcher, designated hitter and first baseman as someone with “a powerful bat, an unforgettable presence, a heart that loved this game.”
“Thank you for every at-bat, every home run, every day you proudly defended our colors,” the league wrote in Spanish on Instagram. “Rest in peace, Jesús. Your legacy lives on in every fan who ever celebrated with you.”
In addition to six seasons with the Venezuelan league, Montero played five major league seasons, one with the Yankees and four with the Seattle Mariners. Both teams, as well as MLB, mourned Montero with posts on X.
Born in Guacara, Venezuela, Montero was 16 when he was signed by the Yankees as an international free agent in 2006. He worked his way through the minor leagues, twice appearing in the All-Star Futures game, and made his MLB debut late in the 2011 season. In 61 at-bats over 18 games that September, Montero had a batting average of .328 and OPS of .996 with four home runs and 12 RBIs.
That offseason, Montero was traded to Seattle as part of a blockbuster package deal that sent pitcher Michael Pineda to New York.
“He may very well be the best player I’ve traded,” Cashman told reporters at the time. “He’s that good. He’s a middle-of-the-lineup type bat.”
Montero played 208 games for the Mariners, hitting 24 home runs with 92 RBIs. His time with the organization was marred by struggles with his weight and a 50-game performance-enhancing drug ban in 2013, as he was among several players disciplined by MLB for their relationship to Biogenesis of America.
In 2016, Montero played in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league system and received another 50-game suspension following the season after testing positive for banned stimulant dimethylbutylamine. He played part of the 2017 season in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system, then spent several more years playing baseball in Mexico and Venezuela before retiring in 2021.
Montero reportedly crashed his motorcycle into a truck Oct. 4 and had been hospitalized in critical condition since then. Authorities said he was unable to recover from multiple injuries.
PHILADELPHIA — Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo had set down 17 batters in a row going into the seventh inning of Monday’s National League Division Series game. The Dodgers hadn’t had a hit or a baserunner since the first.
And it didn’t look like they’d get another.
“Luzardo,” said Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman, “was amazing.”
Yet it was Freeman who brought Luzardo’s masterful night to an end and pushed the Phillies’ season to the brink, keying a 4-3 Dodger win that sends the best-of-five series to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Wednesday with Philadelphia a loss away from spring training.
“It’s huge. It’s absolutely huge,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the two-game sweep on the road. “Guys are really stepping up.”
Especially in the seventh, when the Dodgers batted around, producing the kind of inning they rarely managed in the regular season, one that featured aggressive at-bats, smart baserunning and three two-out RBIs.
“All that coming together; just really good at-bats up and down the lineup,” Roberts said.
Teoscar Hernández got it started with a single to center. Freeman followed with a hit off the end of his bat into the right-field corner, a single he turned into a double when he refused to stop at first, surprising outfielder Nick Castellanos.
“I was trying to keep things going, put pressure on them,” Freeman said. “I just wanted to push the envelope in that situation since we hadn’t had anything going on since the first inning.”
Luzardo had given up one hit through six innings; now he’d given up two in the span of five pitches.
“He retired 17 in a row. He had 72 pitches. He’s pitching great,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said.
But after Freeman’s hit he was done, with Thomson summoning reliever Orion Kerkering. The Dodgers, however, were just getting started, and an out later Hernández put them ahead to stay, breaking smartly from third on Kiké Hernández’s slow roller by the mound, then sliding to the back of the plate to beat shortstop Trea Turner’s wide throw home.
Pinch-hitter Max Muncy followed with a four-pitch walk to load the bases for Will Smith, whose two-out single on the first pitch he saw drove in two more runs.
“In that situation, it’s very easy to try to want to do too much,” Muncy said. “You have a chance to drive in a couple runs. It’s very easy to chase a pitch. But you’ve just got to be diligent with what you’re trying to do up there and just pass the baton to the next guy.”
Dodgers’ Will Smith hits a two-run single during the seventh inning of Game 2 of the NLDS on Monday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers’ rally had been built around a double that should have been a single, a run-scoring fielder’s choice that barely passed the mound, a walk and Smith’s one-hop single to left, the hardest-hit ball of the inning. When Shohei Ohtani grounded a single by diving second baseman Edmundo Sosa, the Dodgers led 4-0.
“Obviously some huge two-out hits by Will and then Shohei. Great play by Teo getting his foot in,” Freeman said. “A lot of good things happened in that seventh inning.”
The inning also silenced the sellout crowd of 45,653, which minutes earlier had been louder than a rock concert during a NASCAR race. When Matt Strahm, the third pitcher of the inning, finally got Mookie Betts for the third out, the fans booed the Phillies off the field.
The crowd came alive again in the ninth, when Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen once again melted down on the mound, gave up three hits and two runs without getting an out to let the Phillies back in the game. But Roki Sasaki then took them out again, retiring Turner on a groundball with the tying run on third, earning his second save in as many games.
When it was over the Phillies, who had the best home record in the majors this season, had lost consecutive games at home for the first time since June 1. And the Dodgers, unbeaten this postseason, were a win away from the NL Championship Series.
“Lots to unpack in that one,” Roberts said.
Freeman managed to put it all in perspective.
“We were just sitting at our lockers and Kiké said, ‘we just took two here’,” he said. “This is a hard place to play. Incredible fan base. It’s loud here.
“We obviously put ourselves in great position going into Wednesday.”
Clubs from Saudi Arabia and Europe are set to test Manchester United’s desire to hold to captain Bruno Fernandes in January, Napoli lead race to sign his team-mate Kobbie Mainoo, while Barcelona and Liverpool are keen on Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano.
Manchester United’s resolve to keep their captain Bruno Fernandes, 31, is set to be tested in January’s transfer window with clubs in the Saudi Pro League and Europe keen on the Portugal midfielder. (Manchester Evening News), external
Barcelona are set to rival Liverpool to sign France defender Dayot Upamecano, 26, when his contract expires at Bayern Munich next summer. (Fichajes in Spanish), external
Arsenal would accept an offer of around £30m for Gabriel Jesus, 28, with Everton a possible destination for the Brazil forward in January. (Teamtalk), external
Newcastle would love to have Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson, 22, back at the club after selling him 16 months ago. (Mail), external
Manchester City are monitoring the situation of Atletico Madrid and Argentina right-back Nahuel Molina, 27. (Teamtalk), external
Crystal Palace are showing interest in AZ Alkmaar’s midfieldprospect Kees Smit, 19, who has played for the Netherlands at U-19 level and attracted scouts from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United. (Mail), external
Ex-Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag could make a sensational return to management and replace fellow Dutchman Johnny Heitinga at former club Ajax following his brief stint at Bayer Leverkusen. (De Telegraaf via Goal), external
Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa’s preference was always to stay at Anfield this season despite interest in the 27-year-old Italian from clubs in his homeland. (The Athletic – subscription required), external
Crystal Palace want Japanese midfielder Daichi Kamada, 29, to extend his stay at Selhurst Park with his contract due to expire next summer. (Sky Sports), external
Bayern Munich are one of the clubs keen on Arsenal’s Dutch defender Jurrien Timber, 24, who has opened talks over a new contract with the Gunners. (Caughtoffside) , external
Incoming Newcastle director of football Ross Wilson will be tasked with reviewing the club’s summer transfer business when he begins the role at St James’ Park. (The I – subscription required), external
Bayern Munich’s German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, 39, is considering extending his playing career beyond 2026 and signing a new contract with the Bavarian club. (Bild – in German), external
Every episode of “South Park” opens with a disclaimer: “All characters and events in this show — even those based on real people — are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated … poorly. The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone.”
While some of that language must be required by an exhausted legal team behind the scenes, the long-running satirical cartoon is known for pressing hot-button topics and rapidly churning out searing parodies. Season 27, which premiered in July, is no exception, focusing on President Trump, his associates, policies and other current events. Some members of Trump’s cabinet have been outspoken about their likeness appearing in “South Park,” but others have shrugged it off. Over the years, the animated series has depicted conservatives and liberals alike, leaving almost no public figure, politician or activist shielded from critique or crude depiction.
This season has had an unusual cadence of episodes, with the first two arriving on a weekly schedule, then biweekly before the arrival of Episode 5, which aired three weeks later on Wednesday. The delayed episode arrived after the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, whose debate style was depicted in the Episode 2. However, “South Park” creators Matt Parker and Trey Stone told the Denver Post the delay was unrelated to recent events, like Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension, or the content: “No one pulled the episode, no one censored us, and you know we’d say so if true.” The pair had issued a statement on Sept. 17 saying the episode wasn’t finished in time. Future episodes will air every two weeks through Dec. 10.
Here is a guide to every parody and reference so far on this season of “South Park.”
This story will be updated with each new episode.
‘Sermon on the ‘Mount,’ Episode 1
Cartman in “Sermon on the ‘Mount.”
(Comedy Central)
Cutting funding to the Corp. for Public Broadcasting
Cartman is dismayed to find out National Public Radio has lost its federal funding after he tunes in to hear static — an NPR program is his “favorite show,” he says, where “all the liberals b— and whine about stuff.” He rants to his friends about how the government “can’t cancel a show” and wonders what might be next on the chopping block.
In July, the Senate voted to approve the Trump White House’s proposal to claw back roughly $1 billion in federal funding previously allocated for public broadcasting. NPR and PBS are still operating despite the funding cuts, but layoffs and reduced programming are expected.
Christianity in public schools
Head of South Park Elementary PC Principal, whose name was a play on the initialism for politically correct, announces to the school that his name now stands for “Power Christian Principal.” He holds an assembly where he says that “our Lord and savior Jesus Christ” is the only thing that can bring back some normalcy to these “corrupt times.” He proceeds to welcome Jesus to the assembly as a guest speaker. When the students go back home, their parents and the people of South Park are alarmed to hear about the emphasis on Christianity — and the presence of Jesus — in the town’s public school.
The phrase frequently used by Trump was inscribed on a T-shirt Cartman wears after he realizes the concept of “wokeness” is no longer prominent. “Everyone hates the Jews, everyone’s fine with using gay slurs,” he says, lamenting that he no longer feels purpose if there’s no wokeness to contest.
Karoline Leavitt
The White House press secretary is depicted corralling the president, sporting a large cross necklace, as she often does during press briefings. Leavitt tells Trump a lot of his supporters are starting to turn against him and begs him to talk to them, adding that they’re “really riled up.” Trump’s base has expressed frustration over the administration’s approach to sharing information about the Jeffery Epstein case after he promised more transparency about the convicted sex offender, who died by suicide in 2019, and the sex trafficking investigation involving the late financier.
President Trump
Trump appears this season with an image of his face over an animated body, frequently repeating the phrase “Relax, guy” and threatening lawsuits against anyone who’s in his way. He is shown berating a White House portrait painter for an unflattering depiction of him and there are references to the size of the president’s genitalia. He’s also depicted as being in an abusive relationship with Satan — in which Trump is the abuser. “South Park” has previously depicted Satan as being the victim in an abusive relationship with Saddam Hussein.
The Epstein list
Satan laments the speculation that Trump’s name is on the “Epstein list,” a purported list of his alleged clients. In reality, the Justice Department has said no such list exists, walking back comments Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi made in a Fox News interview earlier this year that the list was “sitting on my desk” in preparation for release. When the list is brought up in the series, fictional Trump says, “Are we still talking about that?,” mirroring comments he made in real life.
CBS’ ’60 Minutes’ and Paramount drama
The stopwatch featured in the introduction to “60 Minutes” is strapped to a bomb when it appears on “South Park.” The hosts of the show are visibly nervous and continue praising the president while covering his lawsuit against the town of South Park, adding that they don’t agree with Trump’s detractors.
The scene references the legal tussle between Trump and Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, which airs “60 Minutes.” The president sued over edits to a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, which led to Paramount agreeing to pay $16 million to settle the lawsuit in July; shortly after, the Federal Communications Commission, led by a Trump appointee, approved Paramount’s merger with Skydance.
During the episode’s fictitious “60 Minutes” segment over Trump’s lawsuit against the town, Jesus comes to visit the townspeople. Through whispers, he tells them, “I didn’t want to come back and be in the school, but I had to because it was part of a lawsuit and the agreement with Paramount.”
“The president’s suing you?” a protester asks.
Jesus, through clenched teeth, explains: “The guy can do what he wants now that someone backed down. … You guys saw what happened to CBS? Well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount! You really want to end up like Colbert? You guys gotta stop being stupid. … If someone has the power of the presidency and also has the power to sue and take bribes, then he can do anything to anyone.”
“All of you, shut the f— up or South Park is over!” Jesus says.
The people of South Park end up settling their lawsuit with the president for $3.5 million, saying it will be fine as long as they cut some funding for their schools, hospitals and roads. And as part of the settlement, they have to agree to “pro-Trump messaging.” Cut to a live-action deepfake video of Trump trekking through the desert in a show of loyalty to his supporters before he strips naked.
‘Got a Nut,’ Episode 2
Cartman becomes a podcaster in Episode 2.
(Comedy Central)
Note: This episode aired on Aug. 6, more than a month before political commentator Charlie Kirk, who is parodied throughout the episode, was shot and killed.
ICE recruitment and immigration raids
This episode is focused on the ongoing raids carried out across the country by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security officials since earlier this year.
When South Park Elementary counselor Mr. Mackey is fired — the government is doing away with needless spending in schools, he’s told — he signs up for a job with ICE, enticed by a generous signing bonus and a higher salary. Mackey watches a promotional video, complete with animations of officers wearing gaiters and a theme song: “We don’t ask for experience, just show up / We don’t care if you’ve read a book or grown up / If you’re crazy or fat and lazy, we don’t care at all … If you need a job, it’s a job to have.”
Mackey is hired with alarming speed and proceeds to go on his first raid, targeting a “Dora the Explorer” live show, which has a not-so-intimidating audience of young children and abuelitas. After ICE agents hear from protesters that there are “many Latinos in heaven,” they make the pearly gates their next stop.
Kristi Noem
The Department of Homeland Security secretary leads ICE agents through a series of raids this episode, but she first appears in an orientation video. She tells the new recruits, “A few years ago, I had to put my puppy down by shooting it in the face because sometimes doing what’s important means doing what’s hard,” and she proceeds to going on a shooting spree targeting yelping puppies (including Krypto the Superdog) throughout the episode. In her 2024 book, Noem wrote about how she killed her 14-month-old dog for exhibiting aggressive behavior.
She’s also seen rounding up as many immigrants as possible in raids, shouting orders like, “If it’s brown, it goes down.”
And in a running gag, her face periodically melts off, requiring a glam squad equivalent to a pit crew, and at one point, it seems to take on a life of its own. Trump also says her face “freaks me out” during the episode.
Noem responded to the depiction on Glenn Beck’s podcast, calling it “lazy” to target her looks. “If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that, but clearly they can’t, they just pick something petty like that,” she said.
Right-wing debate podcasts
While conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk does not appear as a character in this episode, his style of debate content — and his name — are featured.
Loudmouthed Cartman is frustrated that so many others, namely his classmate Clyde Donovan, are profiting off of “his shtick” of arguing against liberal views.
Clyde has a debate podcast, inviting viewers to watch as he “totally destroys these woke liberal students.” He’s set up in a tent on a college campus where he waits as a line of students come to speak with him, and he challenges them to “prove me wrong.” Cartman eventually takes over, saying that he is the “master debater” and sporting a haircut similar to Kirk’s. He shuts down his opponents’ arguments with phrases like, “You just hate America and you love abortions.”
Clyde and Cartman’s content replicates Kirk’s well-known style. The founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA frequently toured college campuses and hosted events just like the one depicted in the episode. The phrase “prove me wrong” was used frequently by Kirk to promote his events, inviting students to challenge his political and cultural views.
On Sept. 10, Kirk was shot and killed while hosting such an event at Utah Valley University, the first stop of his “American Comeback” tour. Weeks before he was killed, Kirk responded to the episode with a 30-minute YouTube video, finding it humorous.
“I think a lot of it was hilarious towards me,” he said. “Some of it was very funny and I don’t think we should have too thick of skin.”
He also touched on the reach of his organization and events, noting that his name is enshrined in “The Charlie Kirk Award for Young Masterdebaters” that Cartman and Clyde compete for in the episode. “So a campus thing I’ve been doing for 13 years to debate random college kids has now been so important that it gets prominent prime-time placement on Comedy Central?” he asked through laughs. “I think the whole thing is just awesome and hilarious.”
Mar-a-Lago
When Mr. Mackey is rewarded for good work as an ICE agent, he’s flown to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, where he frequently stays and hosts events.
He’s greeted by giggling women who hand him a drink and put flower leis around his neck before the president meets him and gives him a brief tour of Mar-a-Lago. While there, Mackey accidentally walks in on two older men receiving massages from younger women, one of whom is a tearful Dora, detained in the raid that took place earlier in the episode. The scene is likely a reference to Epstein and accounts from survivors who say they were forced to give massages to him and his associates. Trump said this summer that Epstein “stole” young women who worked at the Mar-a-Lago spa, which caused them to have a falling-out.
JD Vance
The vice president is depicted as a version of Tattoo, the character from late-’70s drama “Fantasy Island,” and is animated similarly as Trump, except the photo used for his face is lifted directly from viral memes. He often does the president’s bidding, calling him “boss.” In turn, Trump frequently calls Vance “stupid.” Acknowledging the caricature, Vance wrote on X, “Well, I’ve finally made it.”
‘Sickofancy,’ Episode 3
Randy begins microdosing ketamine and Towelie goes to Washington, D.C., in this episode.
(Comedy Central)
Immigration raid at cannabis farm
Randy’s hemp farm business, Tegridy Farms, is the site of an immigration raid at the the beginning of this episode. While Randy is shooting a commercial, complete with calming guitar music and a trite script, ICE officers interrupt by detaining almost all the workers. “You sons of b—,” Randy screams after the vans as they drive away. “Those are my Mexicans!”
In July, chaotic raids targeting a cannabis company’s growing site and greenhouse in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties drew national attention after a man who was fleeing immigration officials died.
Microdosing ketamine
With his business in shambles, Randy rethinks his strategy with the help of an over-complimentary AI chatbot. Perhaps in a nod to Trump’s former ally and onetime “special government employee” Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman behind Tesla, SpaceX and X, Randy turns to ketamine. Randy insists a slew of “tech guys” are taking small doses of ketamine and the drug “gives their minds the edge to work with AI.” Ketamine “bolsters our focus and creativity,” he tells his partner Towelie. Under the influence of the drug, Randy transforms Tegridy Farms from a “quaint farm” into an “AI-powered marijuana platform for global solutions.”
Musk’s use of ketamine and other drugs has been previously reported, with the tech leader saying in a 2024 interview that ketamine has been prescribed to him and is “helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind.” He has denied abusing it. “If you use too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done. I have a lot of work, I’m typically putting in 16-hour days,” he said. “So I don’t really have a situation where I can be not mentally acute for an extended period of time.”
Musk supported Trump’s campaign and served as an advisor to the president, helming the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year with the goal of slashing spending.
Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook
Meta and Apple chief executives Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook, who were both present at Trump’s inauguration and have maintained friendly relationships with him, are both portrayed in this episode as members of a long line outside of the Oval Office waiting to bestow a gift on the president.
“Mr. President, your ideas for the tech industry are so innovative,” Cook says to Trump. Cook gives the president a gift on behalf of Apple, which actually happened this summer. Zuckerberg is later seen giving the president a gift that appears to be a gold and bejeweled Meta virtual reality headset.
Luxury jet from Qatar
Qatar’s leader is also seen in line holding a model gold plane with a tag that says “Air Force One.” Like everyone else, the leader compliments the president and insists his genitalia is not small before giving him the gift. Trump and the Defense Department accepted a luxury Boeing 747 aircraft from Qatar for President Trump to use as Air Force One this summer, despite ongoing questions about the ethics and legality of taking the expensive gift from a foreign nation.
Washington, D.C.
When Towelie takes a trip to the capital in this episode, he sees armed troops guarding monuments like the Washington and Lincoln memorials and the Capitol surrounded by tanks and jets. In the episode, the Lincoln Memorial has been replaced by a statue of a stern-faced Trump with exposed genitalia.
In August, Trump called up National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to assist federal law enforcement in his bid to “reestablish law and order” by targeting criminals — though crime has been down in the city — and the homeless. Although troops were not initially armed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later ordered them to carry service-issued weapons.
Reclassifying marijuana
Randy sends Towelie to meet with Trump and give him a gift in hopes of persuading him to reclassify marijuana on the national level. (The gift is Towelie himself.) Randy, in the form of a hologram, tells Trump he thinks they can work out a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Trump said in an August press conference that his administration was considering reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, which would be a significant change in policy but would not make the drug legal across the country.
‘Wok is Dead,’ Episode 4
Butters buys a Labubu for his girlfriend.
(Comedy Central)
Tariffs and Labubus
The clerk at the City Pop-Up — rebranded from City Wok — the lone purveyor of Labubus in the area, says the popular dolls are hard to keep in stock, and they’re very expensive because of tariffs. The “mystery box” that Butters has to purchase for the chance of getting the exact Labubu his girlfriend wants sets him back $85, and later, the price shoots up to $120 to offset a rise in tariffs. (The real-life dolls often fetch much more than that on resale sites, especially if they are rare.) When Butters balks at the price, the store owner explains that the cost of tariffs is passed onto the customer.
Fox News
This episode shows a clip from a Fox News segment where an anchor is overly complimentary of the president. The anchor says the president will take questions from a “diverse crowd of reporters” after returning to the U.S. from a historic tariff summit, only to reveal all of the reporters are from Fox.
The Fox News reporters also fixate on President Trump’s relationship with his wife, Melania, and his increasingly frequent appearances with Satan. There’s a heavy use of wordplay that suggests the anchors could be asking about the affair between the president and Satan or about whether Trump is actually the devil himself.
Kid Rock
Fox News reporters check in with Trump ally Kid Rock after breaking the news that — buckle up — Trump has impregnated Satan. A sobbing Kid Rock tells the reporters, “I’m just so happy.” The musician is a friend and ardent supporter of Trump, having performed at his inaugural rally in January and spoken many times publicly about his support of the president.
‘Conflict of Interest,’ Episode 5
South Park Season 27, Episode 5 “Conflict of Interest”
(Comedy Central)
Israel and Gaza
Kyle becomes irate when his classmates place bets on a popular market prediction app that his mother would “strike Gaza and destroy a Palestinian hospital.”
This episode marks the first time this season that the show has touched on the current conflict in Gaza, and it referenced real-life Israeli strikes on hospitals in the area.
Donald Trump Jr.
Trump’s eldest son appears in this episode as someone with many roles — he’s a strategic advisor for predictive markets, he answers the phone for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and also acts as a special advisor to Israel. Although he wears all those hats, the series doesn’t portray him as particularly bright — he has a complete conversation over the phone with himself.
He’s also animated to look as if he’s had extensive plastic surgery and he speaks with a strained voice, as if he can’t move his face.
Trump Jr. holds several key roles in his family’s business and his father’s political sphere in real life, and he serves as an advisor to both Polymart and Kalshi, two prediction market apps that are named and spoofed in this episode.
Trump’s stance on abortion
Less keen on the baby he’s expecting with Satan, Trump looks for different ways to harm the pregnancy in hopes of terminating it. He asks Satan if he wants to smoke and hang out in a hot tub, holds up a wire hanger, tries to get him to trip down the stairs or fall under a pile of cat feces, and even makes Satan a soup full of emergency contraceptive pills.
In reality, Trump has repeatedly shifted his messaging on abortion but has most recently said he believes specific abortion policies and access should be decided not by federal law but by individual states.
Brendan Carr
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission comes into the fold this episode when Kyle goes through several hoops to try to file a complaint over the bet involving his mom, which he finds offensive. The FCC is “dealing with all the offensive stuff now,” Kyle is told.
Carr says he needs to speak with the president after learning about the offensive content, but he ends up falling victim to all of Trump’s antics in his attempt to terminate Satan’s pregnancy, which send him to the hospital. The doctors say they’re “afraid he may lose his freedom of speech.”
Vance later threatens Carr, who keeps interfering with Trump’s attempts to end Satan’s pregnancy (Vance doesn’t want anything to mess with his proximity to the presidency). “We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way,” Vance says to Carr.
Those words match the phrase Carr said in real life a week before this episode aired in reference to his call on ABC to act on comments late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made about Kirk’s suspected killer and his death. Carr has remained in the headlines since then as backlash grew against the FCC’s role in Kimmel’s suspension.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Frustrated by the bet about her and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Kyle’s mom storms into the office of the Israeli prime minister. “Just who do you think you are, killing thousands and flattening neighborhoods, then wrapping yourself in Judaism like it’s some shield from criticism?” she says. “You’re making life for Jews miserable and life for American Jews impossible.” She continues to berate him and a group of officials while the credits roll. Netanyahu does not say anything in response.
Singer-songwriter Brett James, who penned country music hits for stars including Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean, was one of three people who died Thursday in a plane crash in North Carolina. He was 57.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced in its preliminary report that three people were on board in a Cirrus SR22T that “crashed in a field” Thursday at around 3 p.m. local time in Franklin, N.C. There were no survivors, the North Carolina State Highway patrol confirmed in a statement.
According to additional information from the FAA, the songwriter was on the plane, which was registered to him under his legal name, Brett James Cornelius. It’s unclear whether he was piloting the plane during its crash, which the FAA said occurred “under unknown circumstances.” The state patrol confirmed the musician’s death, adding that his wife, Melody Carole, and Carole’s daughter Meryl Maxwell Wilson were the other two people on the plane. Wilson celebrated her birthday this week, according to a post on Carole’s Instagram page.
The aircraft had taken off from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board said they are investigating the crash.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame shared the news of James’ death Thursday in a social media post. “We mourn the untimely loss of Hall of Fame member Brett James (‘Jesus Take The Wheel’ / ‘When the Sun Goes Down’), a 2020 inductee who was killed in a small-engine airplane crash on Sept. 18,” the post said.
James, born June 5, 1968, is best known for co-writing the 2005 Underwood hit “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” The ballad, also co-written by Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson, helped propel the careers of “American Idol” winner Underwood and James: It won the country song prize at the 2007 Grammy Awards and was dubbed ASCAP’s country song of the year in 2006.
The Missouri-born musician began his music career in the early 1990s after leaving medical school behind. He signed as a solo to Career Records, a subsidiary of Arista Nashville, but found his calling writing for Chesney, Billy Ray Cyrus, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw and other country music acts.
“A brilliant songwriter and amazing man. He was the pen behind ‘Summer Nights,’ ‘Love You Out Loud’ and countless songs we’ve all sang along too,” Rascal Flatts said Friday in an Instagram tribute. “He will be greatly missed.”
Aldean also remembered James during his show in Lincoln, Neb., performing their song “The Truth.” The singer said he had “nothing but love and respect for that guy and he helped change my life” in a social media post of that performance.
James also penned Cheney and Uncle Kracker’s “When the Sun Goes Down,” Underwood’s “Cowboy Casanova” and Rodney Atkins’ “It’s America.” As a solo artist, James released several singles, a self-titled album in 1995 and the 2020 EP “I Am Now.” ASCAP named James its country songwriter of the year twice, first in 2006 then in 2010.
By day, he helps audience members find their seats. By night, he’s onstage, commanding them. For actor Tyrone Huntley, the hustle is part of the role in Los Angeles.
Less than 48 hours after raising his voice to the heavens as Simon in the Hollywood Bowl’s electric, weekend-only production of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Huntley was back at the iconic amphitheater — not under the lights, but beneath them — wearing a white polo and usher’s badge, guiding concertgoers to their seats.
“It was surreal getting back to work and being on the other side of the stage,” Huntley said, overhearing people talk about the early August show days later. “They didn’t know who I was, so I was just listening and smiling and knowing that we certainly made an impression.” Even marketing staff at the Bowl noticed, posting him on TikTok in a clip seen by some 30,000 viewers so far.
Tyrone Huntley, center, performs as Simon in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl, alongside Cynthia Erivo as Jesus, left.
(Farah Sosa)
Huntley is one of many working actors caught between ambition and survival. As film and TV production in the region drops to historic lows, many industry workers have turned to service jobs or side gigs to stay in the entertainment capital. The region’s slowdown has been brutal: the twin strikes of 2023, studio belt-tightening, productions lured out of state and wildfires that shuttered work this year. The result is fewer auditions, shorter runs and a scramble for survival jobs — even for performers who’ve just taken center stage.
The U.K.-born actor knows both sides. Trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Huntley leaped immediately into a U.K. tour of “Sister Act” — alongside his future co-star Erivo — spending more than a decade in London original casts such as “Memphis,” “Dreamgirls” and “The Book of Mormon.”
Coincidentally, his breakout role came in 2016 when he landed the co-lead as Judas in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. The performance earned him an Evening Standard Theatre Award and a Laurence Olivier Award nomination. “It gave me the confidence to think big,” Huntley said. He later reprised Judas on the North American tour in 2021 after the previous lead was arrested for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.
Huntley moved to Los Angeles in 2022 with an eye on the silver screen but found himself arriving in a city still wobbling. “Artistically, it just feels like everyone is struggling,” he said. For the last three years, Huntley’s flown back and forth to London — most recently for an acclaimed “Hello, Dolly!” revival with Imelda Staunton — using steady West End paychecks to bankroll life in L.A. And being a member of Actors’ Equity Assn., the stage actors’ union in the U.S., helps cover health insurance costs here, not a consideration he may have in the U.K. where coverage is free.
Tyrone Huntley stands in his usher uniform in front of the stage where just a few weeks earlier he played Simon alongside Cynthia Erivo’s Jesus in “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
For actors like Huntley, the financial backdrop is hard to ignore. California nearly scrapped its new Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, which subsidizes nonprofit programs, this year before lawmakers restored it. L.A. County trimmed back its arts grants, forcing small theaters to do more with less. And in Washington, the Trump administration has moved to roll back federal arts funding, leaving some local companies without crucial National Endowment for the Arts support.
Determined to stay in L.A., Huntley auditioned for the Bowl’s “Jesus Christ Superstar” 2025 production, this time as Simon Zealotes, the fiery apostle with one of the show’s most rousing anthems. The casting was headline-making: Erivo, fresh off “Wicked,” as Jesus, and Adam Lambert as Judas. The production was hailed as “the musical theater version of the Avengers,” with theater critic Charles McNulty praising the supernova of talent that lit up the Bowl like a rock concert.
A few months before opening night, Huntley picked up usher shifts at the same venue. The Bowl granted him three weeks off for rehearsals in July, where he also understudied as Erivo’s Jesus. He also got time off to fly back across the pond for a series regular spot on Channel 4’s upcoming “A Woman of Substance.” He described working at the Bowl as fair, easygoing work that keeps him close to live performance, with the added perk of watching Bob Dylan, Earth, Wind & Fire, and the L.A. Phil. “They know a lot of us are working actors, musicians, writers, so they’re very flexible in giving us time to pursue our careers,” he said.
One highlight of working as an usher is that Tyrone Huntley gets to see acts like Herbie Hancock perform at the Hollywood Bowl.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
At the Bowl, ushers perform the invisible choreography that keeps the night in motion — steering picnic baskets and seat cushions toward the right rows and soothing the occasional ticket snafus or crises. It’s common for the ushering job to be summer gigs — or even first jobs. There are anywhere from 300 to 400 ushers for the season, with more than 100 working per night.
Huntley sees his dual roles as emblematic of the life of an artist here. “I have to support myself, that’s the case for most of us, especially in L.A.,” he said. “Sometimes you can have a proper job and do the acting as well. It’s not all showbiz parties and award shows. Sometimes incredible opportunities come along, you do them, and then you get back to normal. You can do both — and the pressure isn’t always to be on the stage.”
Cynthia Erivo, a noted theatrical divinity, redeemed the title of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend in a magnetic, heaven-sent performance that established God the Savior as a queer Black woman, as many of us suspected might be the case all along.
Divine dispensation allowed me to catch the final performance of this revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s 1971 breakout musical. I returned from vacation just in time to join the pilgrimaging hordes carting cumbersome picnic baskets and enough wine for a few dozen Sicilian weddings. The vast number of attendees caused bottlenecks at entry points, prompting one wag to crack, “What is this, the Second Coming?”
The headliners, Erivo as Jesus and Adam Lambert as Judas, certainly have sizable fan bases. But so too does the subject of this Greatest Story Ever Told, a messiah whose following has few equals in the history of the world. Suffice it to say, it was a supercharged evening, comparable more to a rock concert than one of the Bowl’s forays into the musical theater past.
The hard-charging exuberance was appropriate for a production that went back to the concept album roots of a rock opera that, like other countercultural musicals of the period — such as “Hair” and “Godspell” — preached peace and love while rebelling against oppression and conformity. “Jesus Christ Superstar” reminds us that Lloyd Webber wasn’t always a symbol of the bourgeois establishment.
Yes, the composer behind “Cats,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Sunset Boulevard” had an early revolutionary streak, challenging authority and testing social taboos. What made “Jesus Christ Superstar” controversial wasn’t simply the depiction of Jesus of Nazareth as a man with vulnerabilities and doubts. It was the blast of guitars and vocal shrieks that accompanied the telling of his last days and crucifixion in a manner more akin to the Who’s “Tommy” than the church organ interludes of a traditional Sunday service.
Cynthia Erivo delivered a heaven-sent performance in “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl last weekend.
(Farah Sosa)
Director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo leaned into the concert nature of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” The metallic scaffolding staging, the mythic scale of projections and the rhythmic flow of cast members, moving from one musical number to the next, freed the production from literal illustration.
The religious meaning of the story was communicated through the intensity of the performances. Erivo and Lambert are incapable of ever giving less than 100% when translating emotion into song. But the human drama was most evident in the handling of duets, the musical give and take that showcases the richness of all that lies between lyrics.
The conflict between Erivo’s all-seeing, all-feeling Jesus and Lambert’s competitive yet remorseful Judas was thrillingly brought to life in their different yet wholly compatible musical styles. In “Strange Thing Mystifying” and “The Last Supper,” Lambert, a Freddie Mercury style-rocker, and Erivo, a musical theater phenomenon who can pierce the heavens with her mighty voice, revealed a Judas who can’t account for all his actions and a Jesus who understands the larger destiny that is both sorrowfully and triumphantly unfolding.
Phillipa Soo provided sublime support in a cast that had considerable Broadway depth.
(Farah Sosa)
Phillipa Soo’s Mary Magdalene brought a probing, tentative and profound intimacy in her adoration of Erivo’s Jesus. In her exquisite rendition of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” the tenderness between Mary Magdalene and Jesus, at once earthy and ethereal, deepened the expressive range of the love between them.
Soo, best known for her graceful lead performance in “Hamilton,” provided sublime support in a cast that had considerable Broadway depth. Raúl Esparza, whom I can still hear singing “Being Alive” from the 2006 Broadway revival of “Company,” played Pontius Pilate with lip-smacking political villainy. Josh Gad, who missed Friday’s performance because of illness but was in sharp comic form Sunday, turned King Herod into a Miami-style mobster, dressed in a gold lamé getup that would be just perfect for New Year’s Day brunch at Mar-a-Lago.
Raul Esparza as Pontius and Cynthia Erivo as Jesus in “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
(Farah Sosa)
The acting company distinguished itself primarily through its galvanic singing. Music director and conductor Stephen Oremus maintained the production’s high musical standards, bringing out the extensive palette of a rock score with quicksilver moods.
One could feel Erivo, a generous performer who understands that listening can be as powerful as belting, building up trust in her less experienced musical theater castmates. The way she registered Lambert’s bravura moments bolstered not only his confidence in his non-singing moments but also the miracle of her own fully realized performance.
Ultimately, Jesus’ spiritual journey is a solitary one. In “Gethsemane,” the path of suffering becomes clear, and Erivo’s transcendence was all the more worshipped by the audience for being painfully achieved. Unmistakably modern yet incontestably timeless, abstract yet never disembodied and pure of heart yet alive to the natural shocks that flesh is heir to, this portrayal of Jesus with piercings, acrylic nails and tattoos met us in an ecumenical place where all are welcome in their bodily realities and immortal longings.
Lloyd Webber is undergoing a renaissance at the moment. Fearlessly inventive director Jamie Lloyd has given new impressions of “Sunset Blvd.,” which won the Tony for best musical revival this year, and “Evita,” which is currently the talk of London’s West End.
Trujillo’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” deserves not just a longer life but more time for the actors to investigate their momentous relationships with one another. The drama that occurs when Erivo’s Jesus and Soo’s Mary Magdalene interact should provide the model for all the cast members to lay bare their messy human conflicts. “Jesus Christ Superstar” depends as much upon its interpersonal drama as its rock god swagger — as Erivo, in a Bowl performance that won’t soon be forgotten, proved once and for all.
It felt like 2022 all over again when Josh Gad took to Instagram to express his heartbreak about contracting a “virus known as COVID” and announce his decision to pull out of playing King Herod in the highly anticipated production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood Bowl, which staged its first night of a three-night run Friday.
Gad hinted that maybe — if he tested negative — the situation might change. The following day, however, John Stamos announced on social media that his weekend “just got biblical” and that he was stepping in for Gad in the show.
On Friday, things got extra dramatic when Gad said that he had tested negative. Fans on his social media clamored to know what that might mean, but he stayed mum until Saturday when he posted a photo of himself in an elaborate gold lamé costume with the words, “See you all Sunday night.”
A rep for the Los Angeles Philharmonic said that final confirmation that Gad will step onto stage won’t come until noon Sunday.
Stamos appeared onstage as Herod on Friday night, bringing some comic relief to an electric, deeply emotional show.
After one of star Cynthia Erivo’s solos, the audience clapped so loud, long and reverently, that tears came to the singer’s eyes — which only caused the crowd to cheer harder. The moment of symbiotic love lasted for at least 3 minutes, maybe more.
The Bowl was packed with marquee names, including former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Jim Carrey and Ted Neely (who played Jesus in the 1973 film adaptation of the musical). Erivo brought composer Andrew Lloyd Webber onto the stage as a special guest during curtain call.
Still, Gad fans were many — you could tell because they held Olaf dolls and wore Olaf jewelry — and they could be heard expressing their sorrow at the absence of Gad in the crush of the crowd after the show.
Gad’s addition to the cast, which included Erivo as Jesus, Adam Lambert as Judas and Phillipa Soo as Mary Magdalene, was hailed by fans; and in an interview with The Times during rehearsal, Gad spoke about being beyond excited to perform at the Bowl for the very first time with a stellar cast that he called the Avengers of musical theater.
“I’ve wanted to play the Hollywood Bowl forever,” said Gad. “But I never thought I was good enough to play the Hollywood Bowl,” he added with a self-deprecating smile
Even though the role of King Herod entails a single song — a kind of comic interlude that Gad likened to the part of King George in “Hamilton” — Gad showed up at as many rehearsals as possible before he came down with COVID. He just liked sitting on the sidelines, soaking up the scene and the incredible talent on display, he said.
At a Saturday rehearsal before the show, he filmed numbers on phones for various cast members and cheered his heart out. His sense of excitement was palpable. Now he’ll get one night to give “King Herod’s Song” his all.
Adam Lambert sits on a rickety wooden chair just outside the main chapel at the Hollywood United Methodist Church on a break from rehearsing the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Dressed in beige shorts and a vest with matching mid-calf boots, Lambert wears his trademark glitter eye makeup with thick black liner. He’s calm and collected, content to spend his lunch break chatting, even though the rehearsal schedule is a breakneck nine days total. He chalks up his easygoing demeanor to the high-wattage professionalism of the cast, and his familiarity with the music.
Lambert first heard the soundtrack on one of his dad’s vinyl records when he was about 10 years old.
“I’ve always wanted to do that musical. I’ve always wanted to play Judas,” he says with a smile. “And when they told me Cynthia [Erivo] was interested, I was like, ‘Wow, this is gonna be crazy.’”
Lambert, a fan-favorite “American Idol” runner-up who began performing with Queen in 2011, plays Judas to Erivo’s Jesus in the Hollywood Bowl production directed by Tony-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo.
Josh Gad, who portrays King Herod, calls the cast “the musical theater version of the Avengers.” He’s referring to Erivo and Lambert, in addition to Phillipa Soo as Mary Magdalene, Milo Manheim as Peter, Raúl Esparza as Pontius Pilate, Tyrone Huntley as Simon and Brian Justin Crum as Annas. The sold-out show runs from Friday to Sunday.
Tyrone Huntley performs as Simon during a rehearsal of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Hollywood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
Judging from the ongoing commentaryand controversy over the casting on social media, a queer, Black, female actor playing Jesus and a gay actor portraying Judas feel like a revelation to fans grappling with mounting concerns about civil rights in America. Over the last six months, the Trump administration has curtailed diversity, equity and inclusion programs and attempted to roll back key legal protections for certain members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“The challenge for the audience of seeing a female Black Jesus is so exciting. And we all feel the excitement,” says Lambert, adding that the show doesn’t change lyrics or pronouns. “Maybe it doesn’t have to do with male or female. I don’t really know if it matters what gender Jesus was, because it was about the teachings and the love and the connection to faith. So shouldn’t it transcend gender?”
Power — who has it and who doesn’t — has emerged as a defining narrative in 2025. That was also the case 2,000 years ago when Pontius Pilate ordered the crucifixion of Jesus, who posed a serious threat to the religious and political primacy of the Pharisees, the Herodians and the Romans. The 1971 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice imagines the final days of Jesus’ life, including his agony, before he ultimately accepts his fate.
Gad is keenly aware of the notion of power as historic through-line as he approaches his titular number, “Herod’s Song,” in which the King of Judea coyly mocks Jesus before taking a frightening turn into true menace.
“This is a man who’s so insecure he can’t afford to let Jesus out of his chains in order to actually face him without the help of soldiers around him,” Gad says. “My hope is that I’m getting to bring one of the greatest hypocrites to life in a way that will both make people laugh and also make them recognize that archetype.”
Brian Grohl, left, Josh Gad, Adam Lambert and Sergio Trujillo are bringing “Jesus Christ Superstar” to the Hollywood Bowl.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
The musical was first released as a concept album in 1970 and played at the Hollywood Bowl in 1971, before debuting on Broadway later that year. During its run, protests outside the stage door were commonplace, and although the musical has reached the pinnacle of success over the years, it has remained controversial.
Big summer musicals have been a staple of the Hollywood Bowl since 2000, but the shows went dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. With the exception of “Kinky Boots” in 2022, “Jesus Christ Superstar” is the first of what Bowl leaders hope will be an annual resumption of the beloved programming.
“We wanted to make sure that when we came back, it was the most spectacular thing we could do,” says Meghan Umber, president of the Hollywood Bowl and chief programming officer at the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
“Jesus Christ Superstar,” was always at the top of the Bowl’s musical wishlist but wasn’t available until now, adds Brian Grohl, associate director of programming for the L.A. Phil.
“The number of titles that can sustain three nights at the Hollywood Bowl is a narrowed-down list already,” Grohl said, so securing the title resulted in a lot of jumping and shouting around the office. And when it came to who would play Jesus, Umber and Grohl both say Erivo topped the list. Her “yes” made all the others follow.
Adam Lambert performs Saturday during a rehearsal of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
Gad calls Erivo — who was not present at a recent rehearsal because of a previous engagement — a “generational talent.” And he’s far from alone. Talk to anyone on the cast or crew and they will immediately hold forth on her extraordinary gifts.
“I see the hand of God in her,” Trujillo says reverently. “Even now, me being in the room with her, I hear it and I see it, and it is transcendent.”
Trujillo decided to go back to the musical’s roots as a concept album and is staging the show as a bare-bones rock concert. Instead of elaborate scenic design, there are black road boxes, microphones and cords. Even the costumes are contemporary with nods to their lineage. A rhythm band will play onstage and a 37-piece orchestra will perform behind a giant LED screen that will create the illusion that the musicians are hovering in the sky above the action.
Keeping the show in the present and infusing it with the raw energy of youth culture was crucial to Trujillo’s vision, he says, adding that in the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, the musical “reflects the turbulent political times that we’re living in.”
“As I set up each one of the characters, they’re at a microphone singing and then they take the microphone and they step into the scene. I always want to remind the audience that we are in a concert, but we’re also telling the story,” says Trujillo. “Every single person understands the opportunity that we all have to take this monumental story, this monumental score, and to do it justice. So everyone is coming at it with such goodwill and so much joy.”
At a Saturday rehearsal in the church gym, Trujillo’s words ring true. The ensemble cast of more than 20 talented dancers and singers, in sweats and hoodies, run through “What’s the Buzz.” Gad watches and cheers from a table on the sidelines next to conductor and musical director Stephen Oremus, who smiles and nods his head with the beat.
“If you need me to stand in for Jesus, I’ll do it,” Gad jokes.
Phillipa Soo, who plays Mary Magdalene, sings a heartfelt rendition of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.”
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
Lambert mesmerizes the assembled crew and onlookers with a potent rendition of “Heaven on Their Minds” and Soo brings tears with a heartfelt performance of “I Don’t Know How to Love Him.”
“The more time I spend with this musical, the more brilliant I understand it to be,” says Manheim during a brief break. The 24-year-old, who‘s gained a tween following after playing Zed in Disney Channel’s “Zombies” franchise, is part of the youth cohort Trujillo wanted to cast. He wasn’t as familiar with the score as the older cast members — which is part of the point.
“It’s cross-generational,” says Trujillo of the show. “This is the gift that you give to your children and then it just gets passed on.”
Free agent Dominic Calvert-Lewin wanted by Aston Villa, Manchester United enter race for Randal Kolo Muani, and winger Jeremy Sarmiento wants to leave Brighton.
Burnley want English goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, 32, from Wolves as they look to replace outgoing 22-year-old compatriot James Trafford, who has joined Manchester City. (Sun), external
Newcastle and Tottenham are interested in Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus, 28, but the Brazil forward is also wanted by Barcelona, AC Milan and Inter Milan. (Caught Offside), external
“South Park” wasted no time putting its very existence on the line, again. On Wednesday, the Comedy Central series kicked off its 27th season with a searing indictment of President Trump and its network’s parent company, Paramount. Paramount recently paid the president $16 million toward his future library rather than fighting a lawsuit Trump brought against “60 Minutes” (Paramount is also a parent company of CBS).
It was also announced last week that “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” which airs on Paramount-owned CBS, was being canceled. Colbert is one of the most prominent political satirists in America, and from his pulpit has been a relentless critic of MAGA policy and Trump. Like the payout over the “60 Minutes” lawsuit, Colbert’s cancellation comes just as Paramount is seeking federal approval of an $8-billion merger with Skydance Media.
“South Park” couldn’t have returned at a better time.
The episode, titled “Sermon on the Mount,” opens with Cartman discovering his favorite radio station, NPR, has been canceled. Making fun of its wokeness was part of his identity, and now he’s lost and angry. “The government can’t cancel a show!” he laments before dropping a self-referential joke about “South Park’s” own vulnerability. “I mean, what show are they going to cancel next?”
Paramount might be tempted to cancel “South Park” after Wednesday night’s damning premiere, when the show repeatedly lampooned the company’s costly capitulation to Trump. And Paramount earlier this week announced a $1.5 billion deal with “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone for 14 new movies, six more seasons and streaming rights on Paramount+ for the next five years.
The new season continues to plumb the horrifying depths of 2025 when Cartman also finds that his school is demanding students accept the presence of Jesus, literally. Cartman is called to the principal’s office for not letting Jesus sit with his group in the cafeteria at lunch, even though there were no empty seats. There’s always room for the Lord, he’s told.
The townspeople become angry that they voted in a guy who they thought would target other people — like immigrants. They don’t want religion forced on their kids at school, but newscasts make their plight seem hopeless. “More protests today as the president pushes harder for Christianity in our schools. The president stated earlier today that the spirit of Jesus is important to our country and he will sue anyone who doesn’t agree with him.”
The truly wicked satire begins when they cut to Trump at the White House. He’s the only character whose head is an actual photo rather than a drawing, and the president’s image is deftly manipulated to reflect the many faces of the real man: pouting, grimacing, smiling, leering and pouting, again.
He repeatedly demands that everyone relax while he threatens to destroy them. He argues with Canada’s prime minister over tariffs (“You don’t want me to bomb you like I did Iraq,” says Trump. “I thought you just bombed Iran,” the PM replies. “Iran. Iraq. What the hell’s the difference?”). Trump also lies naked in bed with Satan, revealing his minuscule manhood. Disgusted, the devil rebuffs the president’s advances and says, “I can’t even see anything, it’s so small.”
Satan is also perturbed that some rando on Insta keeps commenting about sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s client list.
“Epstein, are we still talking about that?” Trump says.
“Are you on the list or not?” Satan asks. “It’s weird that when it comes up you just keep telling everyone to relax.”
Then we jump to a segment of “60 Minutes” where the beleaguered show’s hosts mumble in terror for fear of another lawsuit as the show’s signature stopwatch sound is set to the image of a ticking time bomb. They refer to the president as “a great man” who “is probably watching” before cutting to their reporter who is covering the protests against Trump in South Park, Colorado.
Jesus touches down to address his flock under the guise of fulfilling Trump’s wish to bring Christianity back into public schools. But he’s really there to warn the crowd, and does so in a whisper. “I didn’t want to come back and be in the school, but I had to because it was part of a lawsuit and the agreement with Paramount.”
“The president’s suing you?” a protester asks.
Jesus, through clenched teeth, explains: “The guy can do what he wants now that someone backed down. … You guys see what’s happened to CBS? Well, guess who owns CBS? Paramount! You really want to end up like Colbert? … All of you, shut the f— up or South Park is over!”
The town ends up being sued by Trump, and they, like Paramount, cave. They pay him off, but are also required to sing his praises as part of the settlement.
The episode ends with a pro-Trump ad by the town. It’s a realistic deepfake video of the president trekking through the desert heat in a show of loyalty to his supporters. He strips naked and once again we’re reminded that it’s not just his hands that are small.
That wail you just heard? It’s coming from the White House. A new lawsuit is born.
A TEAM of scientists claims to have debunked one of Jesus Christ’s most famous miracles — saying the Son of God may not have fed 5,000 people with just five loaves and two fish after all.
Instead, researchers believe it could have been a freak natural event in Israel’s Lake Kinneret — known in the Bible as the Sea of Galilee — that brought a massive haul of fish to the surface for easy collection.
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Ghent – Crucifixion paint on the wood from side altar in underground chapel of st. Baaf’s Cathedral from 16. cent. on June 23, 2012 in Gent, Belgium.Credit: Getty
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A vintage illustration of Jesus Christ, published in Germany, circa 1900. (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images)Credit: Getty – Contributor
The story of the “Feeding of the 5,000” is told in all four Gospels, where Jesus is said to have blessed a small amount of food and miraculously distributed it to feed a vast crowd.
But in a 2024 study published in Water Resources Research, scientists monitored oxygen levels, water temperature, and wind speed across Lake Kinneret — and say they discovered evidence of sudden mass fish die-offs caused by unusual weather patterns.
Strong winds sweeping across the lake, they say, can churn the water and cause an “upwelling” of cold, low-oxygen water from the bottom, which kills fish and sends them floating to the surface.
According to the researchers, to anyone watching from the shore, it would look like fish were suddenly appearing by the thousands — creating the illusion of a miracle and allowing them to “be easily collected by a hungry populace”.
The team believes this could explain the Gospel passage where Jesus tells his disciples — after a fruitless night of fishing — to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, suddenly hauling in a bounty.
However, Biblical scholars aren’t buying it.
Critics slammed the theory for missing the point entirely, pointing out that no fish were caught during the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
The article on AnsweringGenesis.org hit back, saying: “Jesus simply took the five loaves and two fish, thanked God, broke the loaves, handed everything to his disciples, and the disciples handed the food out. No fish were caught!”
According to Matthew 14:13–21, Jesus “saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
Brit shares ‘proof’ he’s found Jesus’s TOMB & Ark of the Covenant in cave
When his disciples told him to send the people away to find food, he replied: “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
After blessing the five loaves and two fish, the Bible says: “they all ate and were satisfied.
“And they took up 12 baskets full of the broken pieces left over.”
Despite the backlash, the researchers argue that understanding how fish may have mysteriously appeared in huge quantities doesn’t take away from the spiritual message of the event — which many see as symbolic of generosity and faith.
Still, religious sceptics say the study adds weight to theories that Jesus’ wonders may have had natural explanations — while believers insist some things just can’t be explained away by science.
The Gencraft tool was fed the prompt “face of Jesus based on the Shroud of Turin” and returned images of a man with hazel eyes, a gentle expression, a neat beard, clean eyebrows, and long brown hair.
Under his weary eyes, signs of exhaustion were visible.
Many researchers agree that the man wrapped in the Shroud appeared to be between 5ft 7in and 6ft tall, with sunken eyes and a full beard.
The markings on the cloth also show what some believe to be crucifixion wounds — including injuries to the head, shoulders, arms, and back, consistent with a thorn crown and Roman whips.
The Bible recounts that Jesus was scourged by Roman soldiers, crowned with thorns, and forced to carry his cross before dying in agony.
