South Park's Thanksgiving Chaos Involves Hegseth

South Park takes aim at both the US government and Saudi Arabia in its latest episode, a Thanksgiving special that puts the town's holiday marathon at the center of the chaos. With regular sponsors unable to foot the bill—Stan's Tegridy Weed Farms is out of business, and South Park's City Asian Popup Store is suffering from high tariffs—the town turns to an unlikely source—Saudi Arabia. The Saudis agree to sponsor the race, but with one condition: no jokes about their royal family, the Guardian reports

The $5,000 prize has everyone scrambling, especially Cartman. Convinced that "race science" will deliver a win, Cartman tries to recruit Tolkien, the only Black kid in his class. Tolkien walks away in protest after learning the Saudis are behind the prize money, leaving Cartman to cite the kingdom's much-ridiculed comedy festival and argue that if Riyadh wants to throw money at American sports, why not take it—otherwise, Cartman quips, they'll just "go back to hacking up reporters and inviting Pete Davidson to come do comedy."

Meanwhile, defense secretary Pete Hegseth is busy trying—and failing—to rescue Peter Thiel from jail. Hegseth, more interested in making social media content than being effective, ends up waging war on the marathon, mistaking it for an Antifa uprising, per the Hollywood Reporter. Hegseth is repeatedly humiliated by South Park's Detective Harris, who eventually tosses him into the same cell as Thiel. An ongoing subplot involves Satan being pregnant with President Trump's baby, but Trump only appears in one scene in the Thanksgiving episode, telling Hegseth: "Don't just make a bunch of content. Like, actually go and do something!"