The triumphant return to the Emmy stage saw South Park co-creator Trey Parker express gratitude to the show’s dedicated fanbase. However, the true South Park spirit manifested online, where the series' official channels posted an image of an animated Donald Trump, pants down, holding an Emmy statuette, surrounded by characters including Satan. The accompanying slogan, “You finally got your Emmy,” playfully referenced Trump’s well-known affinity for trophies and his own history as a two-time Emmy nominee.

Trump, who served as an executive producer for NBC’s The Apprentice, was nominated for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program in 2004 and 2005. Both times, The Apprentice lost to CBS’s The Amazing Race, making the South Park troll particularly poignant.

South Park has a long-standing tradition of courting controversy and skewering current events, and its lampooning of Donald Trump has been a consistent theme. During the eligibility window for the current Emmy Awards, Trump, depicted on the show with real photographs pasted onto an animated body, was relentlessly mocked across 10 episodes spanning Seasons 27 and 28. This satire even prompted a clapback from the White House, which famously stated the show had been “irrelevant for 20 years, relying on uninspired ideas for attention.”

Accepting the show's sixth Emmy win out of 19 nominations in the category, Parker acknowledged the controversial nature that has kept the series relevant for decades. “A big thank you to the greatest fans in the world. It’s only because of you guys that we haven’t been canceled in 30 years,” he quipped on stage.

Created by Parker and Matt Stone, South Park premiered in 1997 and continues to be a cultural touchstone. This year, the series garnered a record three Emmy nominations in addition to a Television Academy Honor. Fans can look forward to new episodes returning on September 16, as promoted in the Emmy celebration collage featuring the now-infamous Trump troll.