Friend of Charlie Kirk urges South Park to restore controversial episode after his death
Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, says Kirk loved the Got a Nut episode and would have wanted it back on air as the episode remains pulled following his assassination.
A week after Charlie Kirk was killed at a Utah rally, his friends and colleagues are weighing in on the fate of a controversial South Park episode that mocked him. Andrew Kolvet, an executive producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, wrote on X that Kirk “loved that he was featured in South Park” and that, in his view, the episode should be restored to air. Kolvet added that Kirk “would want the episode back up.” The remarks come as Comedy Central and its parent network face renewed attention over the fate of the Season 27 episode titled Got a Nut, which aired in early August before being pulled from cable in the wake of Kirk’s death.
The episode’s central target is Kirk and other MAGA-aligned figures. In it, a spoof of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, a caricature of President Donald Trump, and a portrayal of Vice President JC Vance appear in a plot that threads through a mock political satire. A key segment centers on Eric Cartman, who imitates Kirk as he launches a podcast and debates on college campuses about issues framed as “woke” ideology. One scene shows Cartman contending with a college student over abortion rights, casting Kirk’s blunt, combative persona in a virtual confrontation while Cartman sits on a toilet bowl—a visual dig at the real-life conservative commentator.
The episode also features a reformulated plot about a school counselor pursuing a career with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after budget cuts leave him unemployed, and another segment follows a “master debater” parody of Kirk-style influencers hosting a rally on a college campus with a Bible in hand. Kirk himself reacted to the depiction with humor when he commented on his podcast and on Fox News in July, describing the cartoon as an “equal opportunity offender” and saying he found it funny while noting its broader cultural impact. He told Fox News that the piece was “a badge of honor” and that, in his view, South Park had spread its evangelical reach even as it skewered him.
“Honestly, my first reaction was that I kinda laughed,” Kirk said on Fox News, adding that the episode demonstrated the cultural resonance of the movement he led on campus debates. He acknowledged that the show had not spared him and suggested the episode’s portrayal reflected a larger cultural conversation surrounding conservative activism. Colleagues and fans who later changed their social-media profile pictures to Cartman’s likeness of Kirk continued to engage with the satire as part of a broader debate about free expression and political humor.
The episode’s reception on social media intensified after Kirk’s death. Some critics argued that South Park’s depiction fed into violence against Kirk, while others defended the series as a platform for satire that should be protected in a democratic society. One commenter on social media criticized the show’s $1.5 billion deal as evidence of a “mouthpiece for woke globalists,” while another user lamented what they described as a misalignment between popular culture and real-world consequences. The posts reflected a broader online debate about whether satire crosses lines when it comes to public figures who advocate for sharp ideological divides.
In the aftermath of Kirk’s death, Comedy Central delayed a new episode that had been scheduled to air the week after Got a Nut’s initial broadcast. A statement from the show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, attributed the postponement to production timelines and acknowledged the last-minute nature of changes, saying, “This one's on us. We didn't get it done in time.” The creators added thanks to Comedy Central and South Park fans for their understanding as the network reassessed its schedule while continuing to stream the Got a Nut episode on Paramount+ in addition to reruns on the cable channel.
Kirk’s passing occurred during the first stop of his American Comeback Tour, when he was shot by a gunman from a rooftop at Utah Valley University in front of a crowd of about 3,000 people. Tyler Robinson was arrested the following day. Kirk leaves behind his wife, Erika Frantzve, and two young children, a three-year-old daughter and a 16-month-old son. The incident prompted discussions around security at public events and the role of political figures in platforming controversial discourse on college campuses and in media.
As the South Park episode continues to be available on Paramount+, the question over whether it should be restored to the cable lineup remains a focal point for supporters of Kirk and critics of the show alike. The broader context includes ongoing debates about the boundaries of satire, political rhetoric, and how creators respond when public figures are the subject of parodic content. With Kirk’s death adding a somber note to a year already marked by intense partisan clashes, observers are watching how media platforms handle controversial material tied to real-world figures who shape political conversations across the country.