10 Times You Can't Believe South Park Actually Went There
6. They Mocked Steve Irwin Days After He Died
On September 4th 2006, legend TV personality and beloved zookeeper, Steve Irwin was killed in a freak accident after a stingray impaled his heart. While the world reeled from this tragic news, South Park aired an episode six weeks later where Satan bumps into Steve Irwin (with the stingray still embedded in his chest) at his costume party.
Mistaken Irwin as a random guy wearing a crocodile hunter costume, the Prince of Darkness tells him to leave because it's "a little too soon" since "he just died". When Irwin alerts him that he is the real deal, Satan kicks him out anyway for not wearing a costume.
Because Irwin's appearance had no effect on the storyline, there was no question the wildlife expert was shoved in solely to generate a controversy.
If you thought the show's creators would stay quiet about the issue after this scene created a media storm, guess again. In the episode, Stanley Cup, which aired less than a month later, Trey Parker and Matt Stone took another shot at the Aussie animal lover. After Stan tells his hockey team their opponents won't kill them, one player says, "That's what Steve Irwin said about those stingrays".