# Got a Nut
"Got a Nut" is the second episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated satire *South Park*, and the 323rd episode of the series. It was written and directed by co-creator [Trey Parker](https://www.edgepedia.org/trey-parker) and first aired on [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) on August 6, 2025.[1](https://southpark.wiki.gg/wiki/Got_A_Nut) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/3309709/south-park-27x02-got-a-nut) Its official synopsis is "When Mr. Mackey loses his job, he desperately tries to find a new way to make a living."[1](https://southpark.wiki.gg/wiki/Got_A_Nut)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position in series | Season 27, Episode 2; production code 2702; 323rd episode overall[1](https://southpark.wiki.gg/wiki/Got_A_Nut) |
| Original airdate | August 6, 2025, 10 p.m. ET/PT on Comedy Central[1](https://southpark.wiki.gg/wiki/Got_A_Nut) • [3](https://southpark.cc.com/news/rbgci9/watch-got-a-nut-now) |
| Writer and director | Trey Parker[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/3309709/south-park-27x02-got-a-nut) |
| Main storylines | Mr. Mackey joins ICE after being fired; Clyde Donovan and Eric Cartman compete as right-wing podcasters[4](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/charlie-kirk-inspired-south-park-rerun-pulled-from-tv-still-available-on-streaming-254257.html) |
| Satirical targets | Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Vice President JD Vance, Donald Trump, and conservative podcast culture[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice) |
| Ratings | 6.2 million global multiplatform viewers in the first three days; a 1.531 adults 18–49 live+3 rating, up 54% from the season premiere[6](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/global/south-park-ratings-kristi-noem-episode-most-viewers-26454/) |
| Later removal | Pulled from Comedy Central's linear rerun rotation in September 2025 after the death of Charlie Kirk; remained on Paramount+[4](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/charlie-kirk-inspired-south-park-rerun-pulled-from-tv-still-available-on-streaming-254257.html) |
## Production and context
The episode was produced during a turbulent period for the show. Two weeks earlier, the season 27 premiere "Sermon on the 'Mount" had drawn a White House statement calling *South Park* hypocritical and irrelevant, even as creators [Matt Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-stone) and Trey Parker had signed a new Paramount deal reported at $1.5 billion for five more seasons plus streaming rights.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice) Before "Got a Nut" aired, the Department of Homeland Security tweeted a screenshot of the episode's ICE imagery, and the show's official account replied on X, "Wait, so we ARE relevant? #eatabagofdicks."[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice) • [7](https://jeremyfassler.medium.com/south-park-its-easy-mkay-4f6574ffadcd)
## Plot
The episode runs two connected storylines.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice)
**Mr. Mackey and ICE.** South Park Elementary counselor Mr. Mackey is fired by PC Principal after the government ends what it calls needless spending in schools, despite his 26 years of service.[1](https://southpark.wiki.gg/wiki/Got_A_Nut) Desperate to "make his nut", the episode's running term for covering one's expenses, he joins [Immigration](https://www.edgepedia.org/immigration) and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, he takes part in raids at a [Dora the Explorer](https://www.edgepedia.org/dora-the-explorer) stage show and even at the gates of Heaven, following Noem's directive "Only detain the brown ones! If it's brown, it goes down!"[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice) Noem is depicted shooting non-aggressive dogs, including [Krypto the Superdog](https://www.edgepedia.org/krypto-the-superdog) from the 2025 *Superman* film, while repeatedly refreshing her Botoxed face.[1](https://southpark.wiki.gg/wiki/Got_A_Nut) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice) The puppy-killing gag references Noem's 2024 memoir account of shooting her own dog.[8](https://mezha.net/eng/news/south-park-satirizes-trump-administration-in-new-episode-got-a-nut/)
**The podcast rivalry.** Clyde Donovan starts a podcast to pay his monthly expenses, offending classmates with antisemitic, misogynistic, and racist remarks and goading opponents into exploitative debate videos.[1](https://southpark.wiki.gg/wiki/Got_A_Nut) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice) [Eric Cartman](https://www.edgepedia.org/eric-cartman) is outraged not by the content but because Clyde has, in his view, stolen his shtick; he adopts the hairstyle and debate persona of conservative activist [Charlie Kirk](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-kirk) and declares himself a "master-debater".[4](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/charlie-kirk-inspired-south-park-rerun-pulled-from-tv-still-available-on-streaming-254257.html) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice) After beating Clyde up and taking over his podcast, Cartman is enraged again when Clyde wins the tongue-in-cheek "Charlie Kirk Award for Young Master Debaters", which comes with a free vacation.[1](https://southpark.wiki.gg/wiki/Got_A_Nut) • [4](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/charlie-kirk-inspired-south-park-rerun-pulled-from-tv-still-available-on-streaming-254257.html)
**Mar-a-Lago ending.** Mackey's ICE work earns him a meeting at [Mar-a-Lago](https://www.edgepedia.org/mar-a-lago) with President Donald Trump, who offers him a promotion replacing Noem as the face of DHS. The resort is depicted as a white-trash version of the 1980s series *Fantasy Island*, with Trump and Vice President JD Vance standing in for the [Ricardo Montalbán](https://www.edgepedia.org/ricardo-montalban) and [Hervé Villechaize](https://www.edgepedia.org/herve-villechaize) characters. Horrified by what he sees, Mackey confesses to Clyde that he took a job he does not believe in just to pay his bills, and the two escape with Dora.[1](https://southpark.wiki.gg/wiki/Got_A_Nut) • [5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice) Mackey delivers the episode's moral directly to the camera: "If you're doing something you don't really believe in just to make your nut, you're gonna find that you just get sadder and your nut just gets bigger, m'kay?"[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice)
## The Charlie Kirk parody and its aftermath
Cartman's pundit persona was modeled on Charlie Kirk, founder of [Turning Point USA](https://www.edgepedia.org/turning-point-usa), known for his debate-heavy campus events.[4](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/charlie-kirk-inspired-south-park-rerun-pulled-from-tv-still-available-on-streaming-254257.html) Kirk acknowledged the parody shortly after it aired, calling it a "badge of honor" in a [Fox News](https://www.edgepedia.org/fox-news) interview and reposting a clip on X with the caption "Not bad, Cartman."[4](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/charlie-kirk-inspired-south-park-rerun-pulled-from-tv-still-available-on-streaming-254257.html)
On September 10, 2025, Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at a Turning Point USA event at [Utah Valley University](https://www.edgepedia.org/utah-valley-university). Comedy Central then pulled "Got a Nut" from its linear rerun rotation, while the episode remained available on [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) and for digital purchase.[4](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/charlie-kirk-inspired-south-park-rerun-pulled-from-tv-still-available-on-streaming-254257.html) • [9](https://southpark.fandom.com/wiki/Got_a_nut) The removal applied only to cable reruns; the show's biweekly schedule continued, with the next new episode airing September 23 on Comedy Central.[4](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/charlie-kirk-inspired-south-park-rerun-pulled-from-tv-still-available-on-streaming-254257.html) A later delay of the season's fifth episode was unrelated: Matt Stone told *The Denver Post*, "No one pulled the episode, no one censored us, and you know we'd say so if true. We just didn't get it done."[10](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/is-censorship-to-blame-south-park-latest-episode-being-delayed-matt-stone-responded)
## Reception and ratings
"Got a Nut" outperformed its heavily promoted premiere. It averaged 6.2 million global multiplatform viewers across Paramount+ and Comedy Central in its first three days (August 6 to 8), and posted a 1.531 rating among adults 18–49 in live+3, up 54% from the premiere's 0.996. Comedy Central called it its highest-rated episode since 2018 and said it drew the biggest young-adult viewership share in the show's history.[6](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/global/south-park-ratings-kristi-noem-episode-most-viewers-26454/) Its initial linear broadcast nearly doubled the premiere's on-air audience.[11](https://bleedingcool.com/tv/south-park-more-relevant-than-ever-season-27-sees-big-viewing-boost/)
Critical and audience responses were divided. *The Guardian* praised the episode as ruthless satire that saved its harshest vitriol for Noem, while arguing that its premise, that administration operatives act purely cynically for a paycheck, understated how many believe their own rhetoric.[5](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice) Bubbleblabber scored it 9.5/10, calling the show "the most dangerous show in the world" again.[12](https://www.bubbleblabber.com/2025/08/review-south-park-got-a-nut/) On Metacritic, the episode holds a mixed user score of 5.4 based on 8 ratings, with reviewers split between praise for the Noem material and complaints about repetitive jokes and an abrupt, seemingly truncated ending.[13](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/south-park/season-27/episode-2-got-a-nut/) IMDb users rated it 8.3.[14](https://shevato.com/apps/rising-shows/shows/south-park-tt0121955/)
## References
1. [Got A Nut, South Park Archives (southpark.wiki.gg)](https://southpark.wiki.gg/wiki/Got_A_Nut)
2. [Got a Nut, South Park 27x02, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/episodes/3309709/south-park-27x02-got-a-nut)
3. [Watch "GOT A NUT" now!, South Park Studios news](https://southpark.cc.com/news/rbgci9/watch-got-a-nut-now)
4. [Charlie Kirk-Inspired 'South Park' Rerun Pulled From TV, Still Available On Streaming, Cartoon Brew (Jamie Lang, September 11, 2025)](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tv/charlie-kirk-inspired-south-park-rerun-pulled-from-tv-still-available-on-streaming-254257.html)
5. [From puppy murder to racist podcasts: South Park's anti-deportation episode is utterly ruthless TV, The Guardian (Zach Vasquez, August 7, 2025)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/aug/07/south-park-anti-deportation-episode-ice)
6. ['South Park' Ratings Surge: Kristi Noem, JD Vance Takedown Episode Earns Most Viewers Since 2018 on Comedy Central, Variety (August 14, 2025)](https://au.variety.com/2025/tv/global/south-park-ratings-kristi-noem-episode-most-viewers-26454/)
7. [South Park: "It's Easy, Mkay?", Medium (Jeremy Fassler, August 7, 2025)](https://jeremyfassler.medium.com/south-park-its-easy-mkay-4f6574ffadcd)
8. [South Park Satirizes Trump Administration in New Episode "Got A Nut", Mezha](https://mezha.net/eng/news/south-park-satirizes-trump-administration-in-new-episode-got-a-nut/)
9. [Got a Nut, South Park Public Library (Fandom)](https://southpark.fandom.com/wiki/Got_a_nut)
10. [Is Censorship To Blame For South Park's Latest Episode Being Delayed? Matt Stone Has Responded, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/is-censorship-to-blame-south-park-latest-episode-being-delayed-matt-stone-responded)
11. [South Park More Relevant Than Ever: Season 27 Sees Big Viewing Boost, Bleeding Cool](https://bleedingcool.com/tv/south-park-more-relevant-than-ever-season-27-sees-big-viewing-boost/)
12. [Review: South Park "Got A Nut", Bubbleblabber (John Schwarz, August 7, 2025)](https://www.bubbleblabber.com/2025/08/review-south-park-got-a-nut/)
13. [South Park season 27 Got a Nut Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/south-park/season-27/episode-2-got-a-nut/)
14. [South Park Episode Ratings & Season Trajectories, Rising Shows](https://shevato.com/apps/rising-shows/shows/south-park-tt0121955/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Episodes and serial chapters › Individual episode articles › General episode articles › Comedy and comedy-drama episodes*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license