The Simpsons Showrunner Praises South Park’s Political Humor: “I’m Not as Brave as Matt and Trey”

Matt Selman, showrunner of The Simpsons, has praised the “brave” political approach of its contemporary long-running animated show South Park.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Selman clarified his earlier comments about avoiding political statements, saying The Simpsons addresses broader themes because of its longer turnaround times. He also called himself a “coward” compared to South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

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“What I should have said the first time was just ripped-from-the-headlines daily cataclysm humor is best left to shows like South Park that can do a fast turnaround, where it is up to us to address the deeper recurrent themes of the dystopia that we live in,” Selman said. “So we’re not shying away from it, but when you’ve got South Park, who’s so brave and so funny and so topical, leading the charge, it frees us up to do more humor about how the world has gotten dumber and worse.”

Selman added that the previous interview “definitely made me look like a giant chickens***, but whatever, I’ll take it. I can handle it. I can handle being labeled a coward. I am a coward.”

“Here’s the headline: I’m not as brave as Matt and Trey,” he offered instead. “I will stand by that quote. They are brave. They are brave American heroes, and I am a coward. Quote me on that.”

Speaking to EW in September 2025, Selman said that making a show that doesn’t get released until 10 months after it was written “takes the pressure off, because who knows what the fuck we’re gonna be looking at in 10 months.” He added, “It’s not our mission statement to respond to the crisis of the moment. It’s more about a town of good-natured dum-dums dealing with a changing world, yet our characters never really change. The world changes around them.”

Meanwhile, South Park recently won Outstanding Animated Program at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys for “Sermon on the ‘Mount,” an episode portraying a micro-endowed Donald Trump who impregnates Satan. The show also received the Television Academy Honors Award, which recognizes “television programs and their producers who have harnessed the extraordinary power of television to advance social change.”

Parker and Stone renamed the show to South America after Trump ordered the name of Lake Ontario to be changed to Lake America. The theme was also retooled, with new vocals from Primus frontman Les Claypool and a cameo from Trump. Read our review of the Season 29 premiere.

The Simpsons kicked off its 38th season this past Sunday. Selman also told EW that he is dedicating “80 percent” of his energy to the upcoming second Simpsons movie, currently set for a July 2027 release in theaters.