South Park Renames Itself 'South America' to Mock Apple and Google's Lake Ontario Rebrand

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, announced on Instagram that they are renaming their show 'South America' — a direct parody of Apple and Google's decision to relabel Lake Ontario as 'Lake America' on their map platforms. The announcement dropped ahead of the show's 29th season premiere on September 16, and featured the South Park logo with a license plate reading 'AMERICA' slapped over the word 'Park,' complete with a glowing US flag.

The tech companies' map changes followed a Trump executive order signed August 27 directing federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario — which straddles the US-Canada border — in all official maps, contracts, and documents, amid escalating trade tensions with Canada. Google updated Maps first, showing 'Lake America' to US users, 'Lake Ontario' to Canadian users, and a hybrid label to everyone else. Apple Maps followed suit the next week, also showing 'Lake America' to US-based users. Both companies cited their policy of reflecting changes in official government naming sources, such as the US Geographic Names Information System — the same justification they used when Trump renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America last year.

Parker and Stone framed the tech giants' compliance as cowardice dressed up as patriotism, with their mock announcement sarcastically praising the 'bravery and patriotism' of Apple and Google. The jab fits squarely within South Park's nearly three-decade tradition of skewering powerful institutions — past targets include Trump, CBS, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. The creators also slipped in a dig at their own parent company, Paramount Skydance, describing it as 'a Skydance Capitulation' — a reference to the 2025 acquisition of Paramount by David Ellison's Skydance Media.