Comedy Central pulls 'South Park' episode following Charlie Kirk's fatal shooting
Comedy Central has pulled a recent "South Park" episode from its rotation in the wake of Charlie Kirk's fatal shooting.
Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth activist organization Turning Point USA, died Wednesday after he was shot during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
The "South Park" episode, a rerun featuring one of the show's main characters, Eric Cartman, parodying Kirk, was pulled from the network's scheduled rotation following Kirk's death.
The episode originally aired in early August and was scheduled for a rerun on Wednesday night.
Although the episode was pulled from Comedy Central's rotation, it is still available on demand and on Paramount+.
In the episode, Cartman takes on Kirk's persona by mimicking the right-wing political activist's mannerisms and confrontational debate style. Like Kirk, Cartman also hosts a right-wing podcast where he debates those who don't agree with his views, according to People.
On Aug. 7, following the episode's release, Kirk took to TikTok and called it "hilarious."
"The 'South Park' episode just dropped, and honestly, it is hilarious," he said at the time. "Part of it is kind of like, whatever, typical humor, but it was hilarious. Just watch this little snippet of our 'Prove Me Wrongs,' our viral, cultural domination on primetime on Comedy Central -- so important, so impactful that 'South Park' is highlighting. Watch."
Kirk then showed a clip from the episode, which features Cartman debating people on his fictional podcast.
The episode also features a character receiving an award named after Kirk.
On TikTok, Kirk said he was told prior to the episode airing that if his name was mentioned on the show, he should consider it a "big win."
"We got our own award show as part of 'South Park,'" he said at the time. "I was told that going in -- 'Charlie, if they say your name, that's a big win.' Apparently there's 'The Charlie Kirk Awards.'"
At the end of his TikTok, Kirk said, "There's gonna be a lot said about this, but we need to have a good spirit about being made fun of, and this is all a success. This is all a win."
Kirk, who had amassed nearly 8.5 million followers on TikTok over the past year and a half, also changed his profile photo on the platform to a picture of Cartman from the episode.
Following his death on Wednesday, Kirk's many conservative supporters criticized the creators of "South Park" for mocking Kirk and allegedly targeting conservatives.
Several Republican and Democratic leaders alike have also weighed in and condemned Kirk's killing.
President Donald Trump called Kirk's assassination "heinous" in a video message shared on social media Wednesday.
"Charlie inspired millions, and tonight, all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror," he said. "Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate in a country that he loved so much."
Trump also called Kirk a "martyr for truth and freedom."
A manhunt for the suspected shooter is underway.
