Only two episodes of South Park Season 27 have premiered amid the 2025 TV schedule, but the long-running animated series has already caused quite a stir. Series creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker along with their colleagues have been diving deep into political and social commentary with these new episodes. On that note, the latest installment of the show took shots at Kristi Noem, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. Now, Noem is sharing thoughts, and she’s not holding back about being trolled.
A version of Kristi Noem – who some have referred to as “ICE Barbie” – is featured heavily in the South Park episode “Got a Nut.” This iteration of Noem is depicted as an overzealous agent of ICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement), who leads a series of raids. During those incursions, Noem is seen killing aggressive dogs and using botox on herself as necessary all while arresting citizens she believes to be Hispanic. The cartoon Noem also poses for photos and, during the show, her face is also depicted as melting.
The real U.S. secretary was asked about the parody while appearing as a guest on Glenn Beck’s radio show. Amid the interview (which is on YouTube), the government official admitted that she hadn’t seen the episode for herself due to being busy “going over budget numbers and stuff.” Nevertheless, she still took issue with the series (which is streamable with a Paramount+ subscription) making jokes about her looks:
Yeah, it never ends, but it’s so lazy. They constantly make fun of women for how they look. Only the liberals and the extremists do that. If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that but, clearly, they can’t. They just pick something petty like that.
Throughout South Park’s lengthy run, the writers and producers have parodied a myriad of public figures, including actors, politicians, musicians and more. Ultimately, the reactions to those spoofs can vary by person. Some have expressed disdain over how they’re portrayed on the show, while others don’t have as big a problem with it. While speaking with CinemaBlend, NFL legend John Elway even expressed an appreciation for the multiple times he’s been poked fun at on the show.
Such feelings haven’t been the case for those parodied on Season 27 thus far, though. The season premiere not only featured a Donald Trump character in bed with the Devil, but it also featured a video of a naked President Trump running on the beach. After that, the White House released a blistering statement with which it derided Comedy Central’s much-discussed show. U.S. Vice President JD Vance was also parodied, with a photo of his face being superimposed onto a diminutive body. Vance responded on social media by simply saying, “Well, I’ve finally made it.”
Considering South Park’s history and the vibe of this latest season, it may be fair to assume that the writers aren’t done skewering public figures with these latest episodes. The series’ version of President Trump now seems set to be a recurring character of sorts. As for the show’s version of Kristi Noem, it remains to be seen whether she’ll be featured again after the latest episode ended with her shooting up a dog grooming salon.
The third episode of South Park Season 27 is set to air on Comedy Central on Wednesday, August 13 at 10 p.m. ET. Also, fans can stream that episode the next day on Paramount+.
