Top 30 Celebrity Roasts on South Park
#30: Rob Schneider
Top 20 Celebrity Roasts on South Park
Say what you want about Rob Schneider, but he certainly took “South Park’s” roast of him in stride. During a time when the “SNL” alum seemed to be in countless films as oddball characters, the show took a couple of great potshots at the actor in some faux movie trailers. The general theme was that the actor seems to keep taking roles where he turns into something fairly obscure. Pushing it as far as it can go, he’s shown starring in a movie as a carrot and even a stapler. All the bits are hilarious, but made even better when you see his real reaction on Bill Maher’s podcast.
#29: Korn
Back in the late 1990s and early aughts, the nu-metal band Korn was making major waves across MTV and record stores alike. Back in “South Park’s” third season, the show featured the band in a Halloween episode. It’s one giant send-up of classic “Scooby-Doo” featuring mask reveals and mysteries. Korn is driving a van that looks suspiciously familiar, and there’s a whole mystery the gang helps solve. With the actual band members voicing themselves in the episode, it’s more self-mockery than anything, but does lean pretty heavily on promoting their new album. Nevertheless, it’s a nice jab at their expense that they seem to enjoy.
#28: Conan O'Brien
Top 10 Conan O'Brien Recurring Bits
During “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut,” Sheila Broflovski accuses Terrance and Phillip of “tainting” children’s minds with their filthy language. This all comes out when the Canadian duo appear on Conan O’Brien’s talk show. The bit starts slow as it gently pokes fun at the entire talk-show format but very quickly turns south when Sheila appears to arrest Terrance and Phillip to eventually have them punished. Conan is shown as having regret for turning the two in and unceremoniously jumps out his window as punishment. It’s far tamer than others on this list but still a little sour for fans of O’Brien.
#27: Oprah Winfrey
Top 10 Most Memorable Oprah Winfrey Moments
James Frey originally released “A Million Little Pieces” as a memoir only to admit that it was a work of fiction. He appeared on Oprah before and after the news broke, and “South Park” decided to have a little fun. “A Million Little Fibers” turned Towelie into a Frey proxy, and when he appears on Winfrey’s show, things really take a turn for the worse. Certain private portions of Oprah’s anatomy are heavily featured throughout the episode, including one of them who decides to pull out a gun, take hostages, and make a series of demands. Not only does it mock Oprah’s mistake about Frey’s book, but takes a real jab at her personal choices.
#26: Honey Boo Boo
Given the content of some of the TLC programming, it isn’t surprising to find the show roasting some of their more memorable characters. Both the program “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” and its titular star, Alana Thompson, took a pretty hard beating in Season 16. Kyle catches the show on TV where everything you saw in the real show was dialed up to 11. This includes Thompson receiving a pig heart transplant, which results in her oinking and carrying on much like a real hog. It pushes the already over-the-top behaviors into pretty vile territory all while giving us the giggles.
#25: Jennifer Lopez
Top 10 Funniest Jennifer Aniston Bloopers on Friends
Roasts of celebrities on “South Park” run the gamut. Sometimes they’re a little jab here and there. Other times it goes completely off the rails. When the show decided to take on Jennifer Lopez, they leaned hard into mocking her music career as well as her cultural background. Depicted mainly as hair and makeup drawn on Cartman’s hand, this version of J-Lo “sings” about her obsession with tacos and burritos. It goes further when the “real” Lopez shows up and blows a gasket over this impersonator. Even her boyfriend, Ben Affleck, becomes enamored with Cartman’s hand. It’s a pretty brutal portrayal which is why it isn’t surprising the actual Jennifer Lopez allegedly threatened to fire anyone who quoted lines from the episode.
#24: Snooki
In Season 14, “South Park” took aim at the whole fascination with the “Jersey Shore” franchise. We learn more about Kyle and his family’s true origins and get some good laughs. As much as the show mocked various members of the overly tanned cast, no one got a worse roasting than Nicole Elizabeth LaValle, AKA Snooki. Well-known at the time for her tantalizing behavior, “South Park” gave us a wildly different version. Here we see her more as a wild animal, much like an oversized rat, who “attacks” any man who comes anywhere near her. It’s a rendition of the reality star that’s both hilarious and perhaps more memorable than her original character.
#23: Phil Collins
Top 20 Most Shocking Dr. Phil Guests
Let this be a lesson to all future musicians: should you ever find yourself competing with Trey Parker and Matt Stone for a Best Original Song Oscar, then do yourself a favor and pull out, because the consequences for beating them won’t be to your liking. Genesis singer Phil Collins learned this the hard way after “You’ll Be in My Heart” won over “Blame Canada” at the 2000 Academy Awards. As revenge, the creators had Collins make an appearance in South Park, where he was depicted as a boring singer that’s constantly clutching his Oscar…which was later shoved where the sun don’t shine. Lovely.
#22: Bono
Apparently, Bono is not just the lead singer of U2; he is also an actual, literal piece of crap. When Randy Marsh takes a record-setting crap, he steals the title away from – you guessed it – Bono, who is none too pleased, let us tell you. But then it’s revealed that Bono hadn’t previously taken the world’s biggest crap; he IS the world’s biggest crap, the second talking piece of poo in the “South Park” universe, but the first to take the form of a human. According to the show, it’s his status as a hunk of excrement that explains why Bono can do so much good in the world yet still appear like a huge turd.
#21: George R.R. Martin
10 Times George Cooper Sr Was Nothing Like Sheldon Described on The Big Bang Theory
George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series of books was the main basis for the hit show “Game of Thrones.” It was a massive success, but not without its critics and shortcomings. “South Park” did a three-part episode that was one giant parody of the fantasy tale. Mocking “Thrones’” excessive use of nudity, we’re treated to a hilarious song where Martin seems obsessed with one part of the male anatomy. The joke continues through all three episodes and grows even more ridiculous by the end. This combined with some creative criticisms of Thrones’ long, drawn-out scenes, makes it a great parody of television and roasting of its writer.
#20: Cesar Millan
Despite only being a kid, Cartman’s misbehavior can at times be a force of nature that not even his mother can stop. Who else, then, could possibly control the boy? Why, the Dog Whisperer of course! While he’s well known for his work with canines, in the world of South Park, Cesar Millan turns out to be the one person able to keep Cartman in check. How? By treating him like a dog. Despite the role reversal, Millan actually gets off rather easily, considering he’s portrayed in a positive light. He reigned in and owned Cartman at every turn; how’s that for an achievement?
#19: Saddam Hussein
A very different version of the real-life Saddam Hussein features heavily in “South Park’s” feature film as one of the main antagonists. The former President of Iraq is given a whiny, high-pitched voice as well as the typical split-head appearance usually saved for Canadian characters. His first appearance saw him try to take over Canada, but a mass fart killed him. This sent him to hell where he presumably began his romantic relationship with Satan. All in all, his was a fitting re-imagination of one the most hated men of the 21st century – well, fitting for “South Park” in any case.
#18: Bill Donohue
Top 10 Times Bill Hader Broke The SNL Cast
After he made controversial remarks about Catholic priests during the infamous 2009 scandal, is it any surprise “South Park” decided to rip the president of the Catholic League to pieces? In order to maintain the secret that St. Peter was actually a rabbit, Donohue proceeds to murder and torture anyone who speaks out, spouting that it’s all in the name of God. By the episode’s end, he has a complete meltdown and overthrows the Pope, planning to kill anyone in his way. Luckily, Jesus shows up in the nick of time, and puts an end to Donohue’s tyranny.
#17: Kathleen Kennedy
“South Park: Joining the Panderverse” dove straight into the topic of modern media’s obsession with diversity. Times have changed and more cultures want better representation in the media. “South Park” used this episode to eviscerate Disney’s choices in trying to modernize their film and television catalog. Having previously gone after Mickey, it was Kathleen Kennedy who took the brunt of the show’s evisceration here. She’s shown as an angry leader who insists on changing every lead character to fit the whole “woke” agenda. Aside from the fact that she doesn’t run all of Disney, it’s still a pretty dark depiction of what the studio has been doing, and we wonder what Kennedy’s take on this would have been.
#16: Tom Cruise
Top 20 Best South Park Celebrity Impersonations
All aspects of Cruise’s controversial personality and lifestyle are heavily parodied in the classic and controversial episode “Trapped in the Closet.” When he’s led to believe that Stan is the reincarnation of Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard, Cruise sycophantically seeks his approval. He’s utterly devastated when Stan admits he’s not as good an actor as some others in Hollywood, so he barricades himself away and waits for various celebs to attempt to lure him out of the literal closet. The real-life Cruise had a rerun of the episode banned, an act which likely fueled subsequent shots at Tom in later South Park episodes.
#15: Michael Bay
Top 10 Worst Things Michael Scott Has Done
It may only be a short cameo, but that’s all “South Park” needs to discredit this director. After he’s brought in as a consultant on how to deal with a terrorist threat, all Bay can do is spout off ideas for special effects. The military council eventually calls him out on it and demand ideas instead, but of course, Bay being Bay, he doesn’t know the difference. We didn’t think it was possible to burn a celebrity this badly in thirty seconds, but once again Matt Stone and Trey Parker find a way.
#14: Michael Jackson
Despite his alias of Michael Jefferson, it’s obvious who “South Park” is targeting here. The childish singer has made numerous appearances over the years, most notably in the episode when he moves to South Park to get away from the constant accusations. After his neglected son, Blanket, makes friends with Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman, Jackson tries to join the fun as a way of living out the childhood he missed. Even as a ghost or a hologram, the infantile Jackson can’t deal with what people say about him: ‘so ignorant’.
#13: Rob Reiner
Top 10 Another South Park Celebrity Impersonations
He’s given us “The Princess Bride,” “Stand By Me,” and a few other good flicks, which in “South Park” just gets you portrayed as an arrogant mess of a man who cares more about pushing his ideas onto people than actually following his own creed. When the boys blame the tobacco industry for their smoking, Reiner rallies the town against it… by means of creating a commercial that nearly kills the kids for the sake of realism. It’s probably not the best idea to take health advice from a man full of green goo.
#12: Barbra Streisand
The singer has been cited as Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s most hated celebrity and she certainly gets one of the more abstract treatments of any famous person. Depicted as “Mecha-Streisand,” she destroys South Park after obtaining an ancient artifact from the boys by torturing them with her singing. It takes the likes of Leonard Maltin, Sidney Poitier, and Robert Smith of The Cure to eventually destroy her with their Kaiju transformation abilities, but Tom Cruise and his fellow pissed-off celebrities later revive her. This time, only a duet with Neil Diamond can mollify the gargantuan robotic musical diva.
#11: John Edward
Top 10 Times John Krasinski Couldn't Keep a Straight Face on The Office
In what has to be one of the most scathing renditions of a celebrity ever animated, Stan summarizes why this TV psychic is the ultimate douchebag. He’s immediately shown to be a fake, but the show goes to great lengths to explain how his supposed communication with the dead is extremely harmful not only for the grieving individuals who are suckered into his con, but also for humanity as a whole. As a person, Edward is shown to be insecure, self-absorbed and… yeah, just a total douche.
#10: Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse vs Bugs Bunny
It started with the Jonas Brothers where Mickey was shown to be a violent, mob-like boss to his employees. When he got caught, he turned into a Godzilla-sized monster and tried to torch everyone. Then we got multiple episodes of his antics in China with Randy which may have led to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throw in his obsession with illicit substances and additional antics, and this show has never shied away from tearing the Disney mascot a new one. Given that Steamboat Willie is now in the public domain, we’re curious to see how “South Park” will extend their illustration of Mickey even further.
#9: Al Gore
Top 10 People South Park Loves to Make Fun Of
“Excelsior!” Poor Al has done a lot of good in his career, but if that were to stop Matt Stone and Trey Parker from mocking the former Vice President, what kind of satirists would they be? Depicted as… unstable and almost insane when it comes to his search for the imaginary ManBearPig, Gore is sometimes seen wearing a cape while running around, pretending to fly This version of Gore is perfectly detached from reality, living in a world where an animal can be half man, half bear, and half pig all at the same time.
#8: James Cameron
Another Top 10 James Corden Carpool Karaoke Performances
He’s directed some of the most successful movies of all time, set a record by traveling deeper into the Mariana Trench than anyone else, and has one hell of a catchy theme song. On a mission to raise the bar of humanity, which dropped to new lows after we accepted Honey Boo Boo, Cameron once again descends into the darkness of the ocean, encountering Randy Newman along the way. While everyone else seems bored of his exploits, we can’t get enough of them. Oh, and congrats on being the only Canadian in South Park who doesn’t look like…well, every other Canadian.
#7: Paris Hilton
Top 10 Cringiest Emily in Paris Moments
Hilton is perhaps the definition of a celebrity: she’s only really famous for being famous, and the “South Park” creators really let her have it. Not only do they exaggerate the hotel heiress’ reputation, but also all of her previous pets have taken their own lives. So, she buys Butters and stuffs him into a bear suit to be her next pet. To top it off, she enters a competition with Mr. Slave, which doesn’t end well. It’s definitely a harsh end for Paris, even in the South Park World.
#6: Caitlyn Jenner
Her transition caused a media storm, so of course “South Park” was going to take a stab at her. Contradicting popular opinion, Kyle makes a hateful statement about her coming out as transgender, and that she’s getting caught up in her own publicity. She also goes on to become the Vice President of the United States after running alongside Donald Trum – uh, we mean Garrison. Thanks to her new position of power, we’ve been able to witness what she’s been up to in several episodes.
#5: Russell Crowe
This Australian actor aptly has a show called “Russell Crowe Fightin’ Around the World” and that title really says it all; Crowe randomly beats people up who are even slightly critical about his work – and even a few who aren’t, to be honest. Along with his good friend Tugger (a boat), the incredibly offensive Australian beats up folks. Perhaps worst of all, he even beats up a cancer patient in a misguided attempt to fight cancer itself. Even poor Tugger grows tired of Crowe’s antics in the end.
#4: R. Kelly
Top 20 Times South Park Characters ROASTED Each Other
This is another quick cameo, but one that blends so well with the episode’s hilarious premise that we couldn’t bring ourselves to not include it. With Tom Cruise refusing to come out of the closet (literally, of course), the police get this R&B singer to try and persuade him. In a call-back to Kelly’s infamous opera, “Trapped in the Closet,” he tries to serenade Cruise to come out, only to end up locked up with him – and all this just adds another layer to the craziness of this episode. How big is that closet anyway?
#3: Mel Gibson
Top 10 South Park Villains
He’s one of the few “South Park” characters to have his real face used for his parody. When Stan and Kenny travel to Gibson’s house to get their money back for “The Passion of the Christ,” he promptly strips off and asks the boys to torture him – as you do. Now with the Braveheart blue face paint, Gibson chases the boys back to South Park where he insists that the whole town torture him. He’s hilariously unhinged and ends this brilliant episode by, well, doing this… And to think, this episode actually came out two years before Gibson’s reputation went down the tubes.
#2: Lorde
Randy Marsh is Lorde. That’s about the gist of it. Yet, somehow the way the show approaches the idea of Randy having a double life as the New Zealand pop star makes it work. While no one seems to be able to see through Randy’s flimsy disguise, which is limited to throwing on a dress and yelling out that he’s Lorde, there is also an odd sincerity to this running gag. Aside from the obvious joke of having Stan’s Dad pose as a young female singer, the way the characters speak so highly of her kind of make us want Randy and Lorde to be the same person. We’re sure she was flattered.
#1: Kanye West
Never have fish sticks been so funny. Well, unless you’re Yeezy. Apparently, Kanye is the only one who doesn’t understand the childish gag as he goes on a murderous rampage in his attempt to have the joke explained. He eventually sets his ego aside and accepts his life as a gay fish. Now content, he wastes no time mingling with other sea-faring creatures. However, he eventually decides to marry a hobbit. This depiction perfectly captures the rapper’s egotistical nature, while throwing in just enough trademark “South Park” randomness to make this the ultimate celebrity send-up.
