WARNING: The following contains spoilers for South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid, now streaming on Paramount+.
South Park has never shied away from poking fun at celebrities, with the likes of U2, Metallica, Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Donald Trump and Paris Hilton being among the many who've been burned over the years. In South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid, the show once more took aim at key public figures, with nasty jabs aimed at LeBron James and Andrew Cuomo.
In the case of LeBron, the series took shots at him as recently as 2019 when Cartman pointed out LeBron's double standards. When then-Houston Rockets general manager, Daryl Morey, critiqued China for stifling democracy and oppressing minorities, LeBron condemned him. Many saw it as the basketball superstar being a hypocrite, all to protect the Lakers and the NBA's business interests in China.
Here, when Randy Marsh produced a new strain of Tegridy Weed in the past to help folks find compassion and empathy during the pandemic, LeBron had self-clarity on the set of Space Jam: A New Legacy. "I'm sorry. I thought about it and I can't do Space Jam 2," he said to the production crew. "I just can't support Chinese censorship."
The producer and crew also agreed, ending LeBron's hypocrisy as he finally accepted the truth. It's a funny yet very poignant moment, as many saw LeBron's actions as him buttering up China so he could eventually get the film played there, which didn't end up happening. This cost the sequel's box office intake millions of dollars and is seen as a part of the reason why it tanked, with the show now highlighting that had LeBron stood up to China the way he did for social justice movements in America, maybe he wouldn't have had egg on his face -- something Cartman in particular loves pointing out.
The second shot came with the flashbacks into how Stan coped with being home-schooled during COVID. He grew disconnected from his friends and lashed out at his family as they bickered over Randy's weed business, thinking it was driving them apart.
As he listened to the news, Stan saw Cuomo talking about social distancing, masking and how he was shutting down the city. Shockingly, the NY governor then quickly admitted he was a sexual pervert before moving on. It riffed on his recent resignation after charges were levied against him for sexual harassment.
Not only did Cuomo end up resigning, his brother, Chris, was also sacked at CNN for trying to help his Andrew's PR team in a conflict of interest. This joke didn't get much expansion -- it was short, sweet and to the point, with Andrew accepting his mistakes instead of denying them. It once more proved no one will be spared the gaze of Matt Stone and Trey Parker as they comment on the real world.
See LeBron and ex-Governor Cuomo are ridiculed in South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid, now streaming on Paramount+.