{ "id": "epmsv43pjm", "slug": "sassy-justice", "title": "Sassy Justice", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted", "label": "Unscripted, reality, and web-native series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_unscripted" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native", "label": 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"label": "Premiered 2017 to 2021", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries.yr-2017-2021" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Sassy Justice with Fred Sassy is a 2020 deepfake satire web series by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone with Peter Serafinowicz, from Deep Voodoo studio, premiering October 26, 2020 on YouTube.", "snippet": "Sassy Justice with Fred Sassy is a 2020 deepfake satire web series by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone with Peter Serafinowicz, from Deep Voodoo studio, premiering October 26, 2020 on YouTube.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_web_native.comedy_general_webseries.yr-2017-2021", "markdown": "# Sassy Justice\n\n**Sassy Justice** (full title *Sassy Justice with Fred Sassy*) is a 2020 American satirical web series created by *South Park* co-creators [Trey Parker](https://www.edgepedia.org/trey-parker) and [Matt Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-stone) with actor and voice artist [Peter Serafinowicz](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-serafinowicz), which uses deepfake technology to place real politicians and celebrities inside the fictional world of a local television reporter.[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/sassy-justice) Its single episode premiered on YouTube on October 26, 2020, and was produced by Deep Voodoo, a deepfake studio assembled by Parker and Stone.[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/sassy-justice)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Creators | Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Peter Serafinowicz; directed by Trey Parker[2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/movie/sassy-justice) |\n| Premiere | October 26, 2020, on YouTube; runtime about 15 minutes[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/sassy-justice) • [2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/movie/sassy-justice) |\n| Premise | Fred Sassy, an American consumer advocate and reporter for the Cheyenne, Wyoming, station \"Cheyenne News at 9\", investigates manipulated videos spreading on the internet[3](https://southpark.cc.com/news/yumm0a/introducing-sassy-justice-a-new-project-from-the-co-creators-of-south-park) |\n| Central deepfake | Donald Trump's face superimposed on Serafinowicz playing Fred Sassy, based on Serafinowicz's own \"sassy\" Trump impressions[4](https://whynow.co.uk/read/sassy-justice-where-satire-meets-deepfake-and-rome-meets-wyoming) |\n| Studio | Deep Voodoo, a studio of more than a dozen computer graphics artists originally assembled for a film project[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/sassy-justice) |\n| Views | Over 1.5 million views, 47,000 likes, and 3,700 comments in two weeks; over 2 million views overall since debut[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/sassy-justice) • [5](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/south-park-creators-developed-entire-171821314.html) |\n| Unmade follow-up | Parker and Stone's original goal was a two-hour deepfake Hollywood film starring the Trump character; the project was described as \"sort of on hold\"[6](https://online.ucpress.edu/afterimage/article/50/3/81/197199/Deepfake-Satire-and-the-Possibilities-of-Synthetic) • [5](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/south-park-creators-developed-entire-171821314.html) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and format\n\nThe episode is framed as a broadcast of *Sassy Justice*, the weekly show of Fred Sassy, described in promotional material as \"an American Consumer Advocate and reporter for the Cheyenne news at 9, a local TV station in Cheyenne, Wyoming\", who \"goes to battle for the common man in his hometown\". In the episode, he investigates \"the dangers behind manipulated videos that are increasingly popping up on the internet\".[3](https://southpark.cc.com/news/yumm0a/introducing-sassy-justice-a-new-project-from-the-co-creators-of-south-park) Sassy's tagline is \"Taking the blindfold OFF of Justice\", an inversion of [Lady Justice](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-justice)'s blindfold, which traditionally symbolizes impartiality.[4](https://whynow.co.uk/read/sassy-justice-where-satire-meets-deepfake-and-rome-meets-wyoming)\n\nThe show is built as a series of interconnected vignettes in which Sassy interviews figures who are themselves deepfakes, so that a deepfake warning about deepfakes interrogates the technology while using it.[6](https://online.ucpress.edu/afterimage/article/50/3/81/197199/Deepfake-Satire-and-the-Possibilities-of-Synthetic) The interviewees include [Al Gore](https://www.edgepedia.org/al-gore) (played by Trey Parker), who warns that deepfakes \"can put words in people's mouths\", and a [Mark Zuckerberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-zuckerberg) figure played by Matt Stone as Cheyenne's \"Dialysis King\", hawking dialysis in a kitschy infomercial.[4](https://whynow.co.uk/read/sassy-justice-where-satire-meets-deepfake-and-rome-meets-wyoming) Other deepfaked figures in the episode include [Ivanka Trump](https://www.edgepedia.org/ivanka-trump), Jared Kushner, Michael Caine, and Julie Andrews.[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/sassy-justice) • [7](https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/sassy-justice-south-park-creators-produce-youtube-show-featuring-deep-fake-of-trump-to-warn-of-deep-fakes/) The episode closes with \"Sassy's Second\", a parody of the *Jerry Springer Show*'s \"Jerry's Final Thought\", in which Sassy advises viewers that \"sometimes you have to use your own noodle\" because \"it's all we have now\".[4](https://whynow.co.uk/read/sassy-justice-where-satire-meets-deepfake-and-rome-meets-wyoming)\n\n## Production\n\nThe concept grew out of impressions of a \"sassy\" Donald Trump that Peter Serafinowicz, an English actor and voice artist known for his impersonations, had developed; Trump's face is superimposed onto Serafinowicz performing the reporter.[4](https://whynow.co.uk/read/sassy-justice-where-satire-meets-deepfake-and-rome-meets-wyoming) Serafinowicz had previously worked with *South Park*, voicing characters including Darth Chef and the match commentator in the episode \"Cock Magic\".[3](https://southpark.cc.com/news/yumm0a/introducing-sassy-justice-a-new-project-from-the-co-creators-of-south-park)\n\nThe deepfakes were produced by Deep Voodoo, a studio of more than a dozen computer graphics artists that Parker and Stone had assembled for a planned film project; the web series was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/sassy-justice) The New Zealand deepfake artist Chris Ume, later known for the viral Tom Cruise TikTok videos, was hired by South Park Studios, and he has described Sassy Justice, uploaded in October 2020, as his first professional creation.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/mar/05/how-started-tom-cruise-deepfake-tiktok-videos) Serafinowicz described the technique as transformative for impersonation: \"I imagine myself looking like the person that I'm doing. Now that's become real. It's like wearing the most realistic mask possible. When it works, it's just startling. It's like magic.\"[3](https://southpark.cc.com/news/yumm0a/introducing-sassy-justice-a-new-project-from-the-co-creators-of-south-park)\n\nParker framed the technology as a new creative medium: \"It really is this new form of animation for people like us, who like to construct things on a shot-by-shot level and have control over every single actor and voice. It's a perfect medium for us.\" He also said that, unlike his work on *South Park*, \"there were moments where we felt like kids in our basement again\", and called the result \"probably the single most expensive YouTube video ever made\".[3](https://southpark.cc.com/news/yumm0a/introducing-sassy-justice-a-new-project-from-the-co-creators-of-south-park)\n\n## Purpose and satire\n\nParker and Stone presented the series as comedy aimed at defusing anxiety about synthetic media. In an interview with *The New York Times*, Stone said: \"Before the big scary thing of coronavirus showed up, everyone was so afraid of deepfakes. We just wanted to make fun of it because it makes it less scary.\"[3](https://southpark.cc.com/news/yumm0a/introducing-sassy-justice-a-new-project-from-the-co-creators-of-south-park) Commentators have read the episode as a meta-commentary on the risk deepfake technology poses to democratic discourse, with the show questioning its own medium even as it uses it.[9](https://bluntmag.com.au/news/south-park-creators-new-project-is-a-deepfake-headtrip/) • [4](https://whynow.co.uk/read/sassy-justice-where-satire-meets-deepfake-and-rome-meets-wyoming) An academic survey of deepfake satire in the journal *Afterimage* described *Sassy Justice with Fred Sassy* as \"a high point for deepfake satire\", both for the range of its targets and for how it reflects on knowledge production in the contemporary media environment.[6](https://online.ucpress.edu/afterimage/article/50/3/81/197199/Deepfake-Satire-and-the-Possibilities-of-Synthetic) Legal commentary has also cited the episode as an example of valuable, First Amendment-protected satirical use of deepfake technology that broad anti-deepfake legislation could sweep up unintentionally.[10](https://regproject.org/wp-content/uploads/Paper-Deepfake-Laws-Risk-Creating-More-Problems-Than-They-Solve.pdf)\n\n## Reception and aftermath\n\nThe first episode received over 1.5 million views, 47,000 likes, and 3,700 comments within two weeks of premiering, and the video has earned over 2 million views on YouTube since its October 2020 debut.[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/sassy-justice) • [5](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/south-park-creators-developed-entire-171821314.html) The Sassy Justice YouTube channel, created in September 2013, had received over 2.2 million views as of its most recent accounting, and the show ran companion accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.[1](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/sassy-justice)\n\nThe episode was a preview of a larger ambition. Parker and Stone had originally worked on a full-length deepfake movie; the *Afterimage* survey describes the original goal as a two-hour deepfake Hollywood film, and reporting on the project described Sassy Justice as a small preview of that feature.[6](https://online.ucpress.edu/afterimage/article/50/3/81/197199/Deepfake-Satire-and-the-Possibilities-of-Synthetic) • [11](https://designtaxi.com/news/419851/South-Park-Creators-Developed-A-Movie-Starring-Deepfaked-Donald-Trump/js/faq/) In a 2022 interview with the *Los Angeles Times*, Stone said the feature project was \"sort of on hold\".[5](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/south-park-creators-developed-entire-171821314.html) No further episodes followed the 2020 premiere, and the Deep Voodoo studio later supplied deepfake and AI-generated visuals for *South Park* itself, including the live-action Trump sequence in the season 27 premiere.[12](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/animation/south-parks-tiny-trump-penis-is-a-win-for-handcrafted-animation)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Sassy Justice, Know Your Meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/sassy-justice)\n2. [Sassy Justice (2020), Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/movie/sassy-justice)\n3. [Introducing Sassy Justice - a new project from the co-creators of South Park, South Park Studios](https://southpark.cc.com/news/yumm0a/introducing-sassy-justice-a-new-project-from-the-co-creators-of-south-park)\n4. [Sassy Justice: Where Satire Meets Deepfake, and Rome Meets Wyoming, whynow](https://whynow.co.uk/read/sassy-justice-where-satire-meets-deepfake-and-rome-meets-wyoming)\n5. ['South Park' Creators Developed an Entire Deepfake Donald Trump Movie That Never Got Made, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/south-park-creators-developed-entire-171821314.html)\n6. [Deepfake Satire and the Possibilities of Synthetic Media, Afterimage (University of California Press)](https://online.ucpress.edu/afterimage/article/50/3/81/197199/Deepfake-Satire-and-the-Possibilities-of-Synthetic)\n7. [Fred Sassy: Deep Fake Trump Video from South Park Creators, Mediaite](https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump/sassy-justice-south-park-creators-produce-youtube-show-featuring-deep-fake-of-trump-to-warn-of-deep-fakes/)\n8. ['I don't want to upset people': Tom Cruise deepfake creator speaks out, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/mar/05/how-started-tom-cruise-deepfake-tiktok-videos)\n9. [South Park creators' new project is a deepfake headtrip, Blunt Magazine](https://bluntmag.com.au/news/south-park-creators-new-project-is-a-deepfake-headtrip/)\n10. [Deepfake Laws Risk Creating More Problems Than They Solve, Regulatory Transparency Project](https://regproject.org/wp-content/uploads/Paper-Deepfake-Laws-Risk-Creating-More-Problems-Than-They-Solve.pdf)\n11. ['South Park' Creators Developed A Movie Starring Deepfaked Donald Trump, DesignTAXI](https://designtaxi.com/news/419851/South-Park-Creators-Developed-A-Movie-Starring-Deepfaked-Donald-Trump/js/faq/)\n12. [South Park's tiny Trump penis was a win for handcrafted animation, Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/animation/south-parks-tiny-trump-penis-is-a-win-for-handcrafted-animation)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series › Premiered 2017 to 2021*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/sassy-justice", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/sassy-justice.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Sassy Justice\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/sassy-justice. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Sassy Justice](https://www.edgepedia.org/sassy-justice)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/sassy-justice](https://www.edgepedia.org/sassy-justice). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Sassy Justice\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/sassy-justice. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Sassy Justice with Fred Sassy is a 2020 deepfake satire web series by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone with Peter Serafinowicz, from Deep Voodoo studio, premiering October 26, 2020 on YouTube." }