Many people tuned in to the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, where South Park was honored for “seizing the power of television.” Sydney Sweeney and Jenna Ortega were among the Hollywood superstars who gathered at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 14, to celebrate outstanding performances, creative storytelling, and technical mastery in American prime time television.
Even though there were no musical acts on the evening’s schedule, guests found plenty of fun during Cris Abrego’s speech, when the chairman of the Television Academy made a reference to South Park on the iconic stage. “Storytelling still has the power to unite us in a time when division dominates the headlines,” he began.
“Television and the artists who make it do more to reflect society,” he continued. “They shape our culture and in times of culture regression, they remind us of what’s at stake and what can still be achieved.” MASH, Roots, Will and Grace, and possibly the most startling South Park were among the innovative shows he continued to highlight.
“For generations, artists have seized the power of television to broaden horizons, challenge the status quo, and bend the art of history towards justice,” Cris added. “In moments like this, neutrality is not enough. We must be voices for connection, inclusion, and empathy because we know that culture doesn’t come from the top down. It rises from the bottom up.
“We never imagined it would make it to TV, let alone take over the world.”
Les Claypool reflects on South Park’s unlikely rise and his decades-long friendship with series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone → https://t.co/lIjLwnBAWU pic.twitter.com/rGqADsKIhh
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) September 13, 2025
“Culture belongs to the people, so if our industry is to thrive, we need to make room for more voices, not fewer,” he concluded. One fan said, “Hard to imagine in 1997 that South Park would get a shout out at the Emmys in the same breath as the corporation for public broadcasting,” as Abrego finished his speech, drawing a crowd of shocked followers to X.
Another added, “They just mentioned south park on the emmys and i started tweaking out oh my god i got issues.” A third even commented, “the words South Park being said on the Emmy’s stage. woah now.”
It was comedy.
And Charlie loved it.Not a good move from Comedy Central.
Charlie Kirk had a massive influence, and South Park showed that.— Kuaroo, PhD (@kuaroo_) September 11, 2025
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented the long-running animated comedy South Park with an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program on Thursday night at the 2012-2013 Creative Arts Primetime Emmy Awards. The “Raising the Bar” episode, which tackles juvenile obesity and famously stars America’s Sweetheart, Honey Boo Boo, won the Emmy for South Park, a five-time Emmy winner.
The comedy show’s Emmy Award win coincides with its 27th season, which has focused on making fun of President Donald Trump’s administration, particularly focusing on important figures like Vice President JD Vance and Karoline Leavitt.
Nate Bargatze hosted this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, his first time hosting a major awards ceremony. Severance, a thriller on Apple TV+, had the most nominations of the evening with 27, closely followed by The Penguin on HBO Max, which received 24.
