MAGA supporters are accusing South Park of being to blame for the shooting death of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday.
The shooting has shocked the world and prompted furious reactions from the conservative activist’s supporters and friends.
Theories being spread on social media regarding the shooter’s motive have stretched to a recent episode of South Park, which centres around a parodied version of Kirk played by the character Eric Cartman.
The Aug. 6, 2025, episode, called “Got a Nut,” shows Cartman visiting college campuses for “debates” like Kirk, adopting his hairstyle and mannerisms. Kirk was shot dead at a college event in Utah.
The episode, which ends with the ‘Charlie Kirk Award for Young Masterdebaters’ being handed out, was described as “hilarious” by Kirk himself in a TikTok posted on Aug. 7.
However, some of Kirk’s supporters believe the parody may have helped to lead to the shooting.
“You know what, f— it. Let’s blame South Park,” one wrote on X,.“Blame the media. Blame leftist rhetoric. These people hate you and want to see you dead. If they’ll kill Charlie Kirk and piss on his grave, they’ll do it to any of us.”
“Trey Parker and Matt Stone are responsible for this,” posted a second, referring to the creators of the show.
“South Park certainly fomented the hatred necessary to get Kirk assassinated,” a third said.
Johnny MAGA, a popular account with nearly 250,000 followers, said: “South Park attacking Charlie Kirk’s college campus events and mocking his Christian faith just a few weeks ago,” and added a clip from the episode with the caption: “Monsters”.
The Independent has reached out to Comedy Central for comment on the claims.
Trump, meanwhile, has led a growing number of conservative commentators blaming the “radical left” for Kirk’s death, despite the identity of the shooter currently being unknown.
In an evening address on Wednesday, the US president said: “For years those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today and it must stop right now.
“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity, and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it, as well as those who go after our judges, law enforcement officials and everyone else who brings order to our country.”
