Throughout 27 seasons, the obesity of the controversial character Eric Cartman from “South Park”has been a running joke on the show. “Eric is not fat, he is strong”said his mother in response to the constant attacks that her son received for his weight, but finally, it seems that the evil boy from Colorado will make an important change in his life with the help of a medication that, in real life, has generated an enormous commotion throughout the United States: the Ozempic.
“South Park: The End of Obesity”, is the name of the next special in the series where, with their characteristic humor, the creators Trey Parker and Matt Stoneand they will harshly criticize the culture that has been generated around this medication, especially in the Hollywood industry.
After a first preview that generated enormous expectation to see Cartman willing to undergo the Ozempic treatment to lose weight, a glimpse of the character leaving his extra kilos behind has been released. Eric is smiling and wearing his very baggy clothes, while his mother sees him surprised, since she can barely recognize him.
This special, which will arrive directly to the Paramount + platform, will be available starting May 25 in Latin America, and in addition to the expectation of seeing one of the most famous and controversial characters in adult animation change his figure radically, The television event has also generated controversy in various media.
First, there is the case of Ozempic, the drug that originated to treat diabetes but was quickly discovered to inhibit appetite, becoming the favorite “diet companion” of many celebrities.
However, little by little, studies have appeared of the long-term problems that the drug develops, such as kidney failure and hypoglycemia.
At the same time, the body positive movement, which seeks to make people love their bodies and at the same time get rid of stereotypes around weight, has seen Eric Cartman as an extremely reprehensible figure. Over the years, Eric has engaged in racist, anti-Semitic, misogynistic, and even psychopathic behavior and comments. This added to his being overweight, which many consider to be a negative image about people who suffer from this condition, representing them as “evil” people without self-control.
The truth is that South Park was on the verge of being canceled on multiple occasions not only because of Cartman’s character, but also because of his constant criticism of sensitive issues in contemporary culture. Among the episodes that almost closed the doors of Stone and Parker’s project were the one that mocked Mormons and their beliefs; another where they did the same with Scientology and its most famous representatives: John Travolta and Tom Cruise.
More recently, the show ran into serious trouble with the Chinese government after he featured as one of the most famous “South Park” characters, Randy Marshtowards agreements with Xi Jinping and he made fun of the relationship that was made between him and the bear Winnie The Pooh.
In an interview with The Hollywood ReporterMatt and Trey talked about how they were ready to be canceled practically since the series premiered:
“We’ve been waiting to be canceled for 30 years. What changes is who is involved. But we’ve been dealing with this shit the entire time we’ve been doing the show. And we can’t complain. Things have been going well for us. It gives us something to think about and something to talk about too.”
