The New ‘South Park’ Special Could Spell the End of Eric Cartman’s Fat Ass

Eric Cartman has always insisted that he’s not fat, just big boned — I guess Ozempic slims down your skeleton, too.

Earlier today, Paramount+ announced that its seventh South Park streaming special will premiere in just nine days on May 24th, and, as was the case with each special before it, the upcoming extra-long episode will focus on a single hyper-topical subject. In South Park: The End of Obesity, Trey Parker and Matt Stone will take on the trendiest weight loss drug on the market as Cartman seeks to shed some pounds using semaglutide, better known by the brand name Ozempic. 

The widely discussed drug designed to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar is more popular than cocaine among the celebrity class, and the effects of it are just as jarring as A-listers at each and every red carpet show up looking more angular and lanky than The Visitor.

In a newly released trailer, Paramount+ revealed that South Park: The End of Obesity will tell the story of Cartman’s attempt to shrink his signature portly figure by obtaining Ozempic through any means necessary. Kyle might need a new nickname for his old frenemy.

“In ‘The End of Obesity,’ weight loss drugs take the quiet mountain town of South Park by storm,” reads Variety's description of the upcoming special. “When the overweight, foul-mouthed Eric Cartman is denied access to the medicine, he recruits Kyle, Stan, Butters and Kenny for help.” Cartman’s “foul mouth” will invariably complicate and exacerbate his struggle to slim down after it spent the last 27 years inhaling fried chicken skins.

As was the case with the last Paramount+ South Park special, the slightly underwhelming South Park (Not Suitable for Children), Paramount, Parker and Stone have seemingly decided that a sudden reveal shortly before release is all they need to get the word out on the welcome return of new South Park content under the show’s current deal, wherein seasons are just six episodes long and fans have to endure grueling multi-month droughts between drops of these 45-minute features.

Still, this non-marketing strategy will probably work in South Park's favor — we've never seen a single Ozempic billboard, but that doesn’t stop it from selling even better than Cred.