‘South Park’ Creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker Claim This Episode ‘Has Not Aged Well’
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker are willing to admit that one of their episodes hasn’t aged well. In fact, this episode was so inaccurate that Parker and Stone had to issue out an apology.
So which episode are Parker and Stone referring to?
‘South Park’ admits to being wrong about climate change
In the 2006 episode titled “ManBearPig,” Al Gore comes to South Park and warns the children about the dangers of a mythical creature called “ManBearPig.”
Simply put, ManBearPig is an allegory for global warming. The episode makes Gore the butt of the joke, portraying him as an alarmist for believing that ManBearPig (aka climate change) is real.
Yet over a decade later, Stone and Parker are looking to right their wrongs, considering Gore was right all along. ManBearPig is real!
So instead of poking fun of the former vice president, the South Park creators made an entire two-parter special making fun of themselves.
Matt Stone and Trey Parker don’t think ‘ManBearPig’ has aged well
“We just felt like, of all of our episodes, that one has not aged very well,” Stone says of “ManBearPig” (via The Hollywood Reporter.) “And we came up with a funny idea how to use ManBearPig as a parable. I always felt like if we were going to rewrite that or comment on it or atone, whatever you want to call it, it’s in kind. In other words, we didn’t want to say in some interview, ‘Well, we don’t feel so great about that episode.’ It doesn’t feel as good as ‘F*ck that, we’ll do a whole two-parter.’ And it is not just atoning. We beat ourselves up pretty good.”
Parker says, “We could just do an entire season atoning. It’s been f*cking 22 years. We’re pretty different people now.”
Al Gore has responded to Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s depiction of him on ‘South Park’
While appearing on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, Gore was asked what he thought about his goofy portrayal on South Park. And according to the former vice president, he appreciated their apology “a lot.”
“Twelve years ago, they did that episode that had me hysterically warning about a nonexistent problem, ManBearPig,” said Gore. “So now, out of the blue, they come up with these new episodes. And the kids on South Park realize ManBearPig is real! Honestly, I was so impressed,” he says. “I don’t know these guys, Matt and Trey. I kind of thought they were nihilists of sorts,” says Gore. “But funny nihilists. And they had the kids come and seek me out to help them, but my character forces them to apologize,” he laughs. “And they all say, ‘Oh, we’re so sorry Al Gore, ManBearPig is real.”
He concludes his response by saying, “I thought it was a hell of a statement by South Park, and I appreciated it a lot.”