Remember these celebrity caricatures in South Park!

For 26 seasons, the animated series South Park has made fun of the most serious and unusual matters, including revered celebrities. Its fan base grows and grows thanks to its combination of social criticism, humor, and satire.

Two college friends from the University of Colorado, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, began poking fun at politicians, athletes, and entertainers on Comedy Central in 1997. The following were the most shocking and memorable animated versions of celebrities in 'South Park' history.

'Trapped in the Closet,' the 12th episode of Season 9, released on November 16, 2005, is particularly notorious in the 'South Park' series. Actor Tom Cruise gets stuck in a closet and the message is that he should come out of the closet.

The reference is being made because, at the time, there were rumors that the actor was gay. To his great anger, and followed by a personal complaint from the star, Cruise was parodied as an overly dramatic, egotistical, religious fanatic who may be hiding his true identity.

Picture: Comedy Central

The caricature of Britney Spears appears in season 12, episode 2, called 'Britney's New Look'. It was 2008 and Britney was often presented in the media as an unhinged former Disney star who had lost her way.

In the 'South Park' episode, Britney appears as a troubled and exploited celebrity, constantly harassed by the paparazzi. It was a critique of the singer's treatment by the media. Britney later stated that she really liked the message of the episode.

Picture: Southpark/ Instagram

Elton John is in the 2nd episode of Season 10, airing on April 11, 2007, called 'Smug Alert!' The episode portrays the British singer as a self-important figure who brags about his wealth and fame while belittling others. Whether Elton John is really like that according to the makers of 'South Park,' remains unclear.

What the makers of 'South Park' emphasize most, is the way the animated star constantly boasts about his humanitarian efforts. The episode satirizes the hypocrisy of celebrities who claim to care about social and environmental issues but in the end, don't really think about them.

The caricature of the singer R. Kelly, who'd later be convicted for large-scale abuse, was part of the 12th episode of Season 9, 'Trapped in the Closet' (2005). It's the same episode that Tom Cruise protested against.

In this episode, 'South Park' ridicules R. Kelly's personal life, music, and legal controversies. It also criticizes the sensationalism and absurdity of celebrity scandals and tabloid culture. Of course, R. Kelly would be convicted and sentenced to 31 years in prison in 2023, putting the scandalous news reports of 2005 in a whole different light.

In the 5th episode of the 7th season, aired on April 16, 2003, ‘South Park’ parodied Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's relationship in ‘Fat A.. and Pancake Head’. While criticizing the media hype surrounding their first relationship, the episode insults the two stars as well,

Bennifer wouldn't last the first time, but nearly two decades after this episode, they fell in love again and got married.

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This couple appears in the episode called 'The Worldwide Privacy Tour,' the second of the 26th season, aired on February 13, 2023.

This episode is about the lives of a Canadian prince and princess who escape their oppressive royal family and settle in South Park, Colorado. While demanding privacy, they also promote their book "Waaagh", which is a bit contradictory...

Photo: Southpark / Instagram

'Where My Country Gone?,' is the name of the second episode of Season 19 portraying Hillary Clinton. It was aired on September 23, 2015, as the presidential campaign for 2016 was getting started. It would end up being Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump.

Ambitious, ruthless, power-hungry, and eager to do anything to get and keep power: this is how Clinton was portrayed in the 'South Park' episode.

Photo: Comedy Central

Donald Trump was a presidential candidate at the time they began making this episode. It was the seventh of Season 20, with a scheduled airing date of... November 9, 2016, a day after the presidential elections. Quite the challenge if you didn't know beforehand who would win!

In the episode, just like in the one with Hillary Clinton ('Where My Country Gone?'), Mr. Garrison 'personifies' Donald Trump. And he is ridiculed just as much as, or even more than, Hillary Clinton.

As The Independent reported, "Trey Parker and Matt Stone don't start writing or drawing South Park episodes until just a week before they're broadcast." Certain that Clinton would win, they had made a 'First Gentleman' episode, starring Bill Clinton as the President's husband. But now they had to make Trump the actual winner. 'Oh Jeez' became the title of the episode.

Kanye West was parodied by 'South Park' in the 5th episode of season 13, called 'Fishsticks.'

He's a self-proclaimed genius who can't stand any criticism of his intellect. As he gets angry about not understanding a joke, Kanye West is portrayed as a childish, egocentric star in this episode of 'South Park'.

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'South Park' caricatured Bono, lead singer of the rock band U2 in the ninth episode of the 11th season on November 7, 2007. The episode is called 'More Cr4p.'

In this episode, Bono suffers from an extreme case of 'Megacr4p,' a disease that prevents him from defecating. Bono's activism and apparent messianic complex are satirized here, again showing the hypocrisy of public figures seeking attention for their humanitarian efforts.

Photo: Southpark / Instagram

The acclaimed filmmaker appears in the 9th episode of Season 16, released on October 3, 2012. It's called ‘Raising the Bar’ and was aired a few years after Cameron made his big production, 'Avatar.'

Cameron is shown as an overly competitive person who aims to outdo other famous personalities such as Richard Branson and fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg. The makers of 'South Park' satirize his drive to push the limits of technology and exploration.

Photo: Southpark / Instagram

Paris Hilton appears in the Season 8, 12th episode called 'Stupid Spoiled Wh**e Video Playset.' From the title, you can already guess that the 'South Park' team is pulling no punches when discussing the wealthy socialite.

In this episode, Paris Hilton is portrayed as a shallow, attention-seeking character who (negatively) influences women to adopt a reckless and promiscuous lifestyle. The episode was aired in 2004, when Paris Hilton still was a party animal. By 2023, she'd become a peaceful mom with two kids.

Photo: Southpark / Instagram