Shortly after reports had surfaced that Comedy Central's SOUTH PARK series was being pulled from Chinese internet and social media outlets in response to their latest episode, show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have issued a statement:
“Like the NBA, we welcome the Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts. We too love money more than freedom and democracy. Xi doesn’t look just like Winnie the Pooh at all. Tune into our 300th episode this Wednesday at 10! Long live the Great Communist Party of China! May this autumn’s sorghum harvest be bountiful! We good now China?”
If Parker and Stone's response to the ordeal reads a bit flip, it's probably because this is about the eleventibillionth that the duo's SOUTH PARK series has drawn fire from an offended celebrity or party.
As Variety describes the episode, titled "Band in China," Randy Marsh travels to China to sell marijuana from his farm in the Chinese market. He is subsequently arrested and witnesses harsh treatment of Chinese prisoners, which includes Pooh and Piglet, who were banned in the country after memes comparing Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Pooh circulated online. In the same episode, a producer wants to make a movie about Stan Marsh’s new band, but tells Stan they must remove certain elements to make it palatable to Chinese censors.
As of the moment, all clips, episode reviews and pages related to the show have reportedly been yanked from Chinese servers. With the show pulled, only the savviest of China residents will be able to gain access to the offensive-yet funny-hijinks of the South Park crew.