How South Park is saving free speech in America

The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Podmasters

News, Government, Politics, Society & Culture

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 August 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The new season of South Park is causing a stir with its sharp attacks on the Trump administration. Long seen as a bastion of free speech, the cartoon has built its reputation on skewering everyone, but is its trademark cynicism shifting towards a more targeted political stance? Today on The Bunker, Jacob Jarvis speaks with media critic Ciara Moloney to unpack the politics behind the long-running cartoon and examine its new role as a protector of free speech in a fraught media landscape. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to https://indeed.com/bunker for £100 sponsored credit. www.patreon.com/bunkercast Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This edition of The Bunker is sponsored by Naked Wines. I'm Seth Tevall.
0:04.8	And I'm Zoe Grunewold.
0:06.4	And here at the bunker, we don't believe in guesswork. We go to the experts for the best insights into news and politics. And why should wine be any different?
0:15.1	That's why we're pleased to recommend Naked Wines. I enjoy their Bariccas Gallaudoro Reserva from Portugal. Well, I'm trying their small and
0:23.9	small Savignon Blanc from New Zealand. Seth, tell me, what's your wine knowledge like? Very specialised,
0:30.6	so pretty good on things Portuguese, but non-existent on those other things. How about you, Zay?
0:35.5	I drink most anything, but I have to say I'm really enjoying the savenient blanc. It's citrusy, it's got notes of gooseberry. I could just drink the whole bottle. What makes naked wines so convenient is that they deliver top quality wines right to your jaw from world-class winemakers from across the globe, whether it's a French rosé, a New Zealand reisling, or even the Lebanese
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1:26.0	with delivery included. That's nakedwines.com.uk,
1:30.5	forward slash the bunker to grab six bottles for just $39. your daily dose of news without the nonsense.
1:52.9	I'm Jacob Jarvis.
1:54.6	South Park's season 27 has proven controversial.
1:58.2	I suppose when you depict the US president as a sex-crazed maniac pulling
2:02.2	out his tiny penis in front of Satan and begging him for sex, you're going to get talked about.
2:07.3	Now, the show has never backed down from a political message, but viewers felt something different
2:11.4	in the most recent episodes. For decades, the show has been known for a cynical, attack everyone
2:16.8	equally, kind of political
2:18.2	balance, but with its most recent shows, it's fair to ask whether it's shifted from scattershot
	...

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