Earlier this week, South Park was scrubbed from the Chinese internet after its recent “Band in China” episode mocked the Chinese government’s censorship practices and Hollywood’s reluctance to risk profits by offending them. Yesterday (Oct. 7), creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker issued a tongue-in-cheek “apology” to the nation.
“Like the NBA, we welcome the Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts,” the statement reads. “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?”
The reference to the NBA is a criticism of the league’s reaction to Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s since-deleted tweet in support of protestors in Hong Kong. The NBA issued a statement saying it was “regrettable” that Morey “deeply offended many of our friends and fans in China.” Player James Harden also apologized for Morey’s tweet, saying, “We apologize. You know, we love China. We love playing there…We go there once or twice a year. They show us the most important love.”
The show’s “Band in China” episode also poked fun at the government’s crackdown on Winnie the Pooh imagery after social media users pointed out the cartoon bear’s resemblance to Chinese president Xi Jinping. All South Park-related videos and mentions or discussion of the show have been wiped from the internet in China.
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