South Park has intensified its satirical jabs at Kristi Noem, the current United States Secretary of Homeland Security, with the release of an unaired post-credits scene that pushes its mockery even further.
The clip, which did not appear in Comedy Central’s televised version of the episode, was later uploaded online, sparking renewed discussion around the show’s unapologetically provocative humour.
The controversy began with the second episode of South Park’s 27th season, which aired on 7 August. Throughout the episode, Noem and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) are targeted with the show’s trademark irreverence. ICE agents are shown absurdly raiding heaven in search of undocumented immigrants, while Noem is depicted as repeatedly shooting dogs.
This portrayal is a pointed reference to a real-life controversy from Noem’s past: she admitted in her memoir to killing a 14-month-old puppy she deemed “untrainable.” The episode also pokes fun at rumours about her alleged plastic surgery.
The newly released post-credits scene takes the dog-shooting gag to an even darker extreme. In it, Noem walks into a pet store and opens fire on the animals inside. One small dog manages to flee, but she chases it down and kills it. The South Park official X (formerly Twitter) account shared the scene, captioning it: “Didn’t see this on TV? Here’s the Paramount+ version of the end credits scene.”
It remains unclear why Comedy Central chose not to air the scene. The Independent has reportedly contacted the network for comment but has not yet received a response.
Noem, who has not seen the episode herself, addressed the matter during an appearance on The Glenn Beck Program podcast. “I didn't get to see it. I was going over budget numbers and stuff,” she said. Calling the satire “petty” and “lazy,” Noem criticised the focus on her appearance, saying (via The Independent): “It’s so lazy to just constantly make fun of women for how they look. Only the liberals and the extremists do that. If they wanted to criticise my job, go ahead and do that, but clearly they can’t, they just pick something petty like that.”
Noem joins a long list of political figures who have been lampooned by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. In the current season, Donald Trump is depicted in both episodes, portrayed as being in a relationship with Satan, a gag that reportedly infuriated the former president. A White House statement dismissed the show as irrelevant, claiming: “This show hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.”
Vice President JD Vance is also targeted in the same episode, shown as a miniature version of himself who dutifully waits on Trump while he is in bed with Satan. Vance, however, took the joke in stride, posting on X: “Well, I’ve finally made it on” alongside an image from the show.
As always, South Park’s latest season proves the series has no intention of softening its satire, and for Noem, the mockery seems unlikely to fade anytime soon.