Pam Brady, a long-time producer and writer for South Park, has shared her thoughts on a controversial joke from the show’s past, as well as the evolving nature of comedy.
Brady, who worked on South Park from 1997 to 2008 and co-wrote the 1999 film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, reflected on a line from the 2004 movie Team America: World Police. In the film, the character Mr. Garrison says, “I don’t trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn’t die.” Brady, recalling her reaction, described the joke as a “misogynistic frat boy” comment but noted, “we’re reclaiming it.”
Despite the show’s often controversial content, Brady insisted that South Park never felt like an “old boys’ network” behind the scenes. She mentioned that the show’s writers’ room was always 50-50 male and female. “Women are 51% of the population, so it should always be 50% in writers’ rooms,” she told Fox News. “But the best part about Hollywood is that no one’s keeping women out.”
Brady, who also co-created Lady Dynamite for Netflix, acknowledged that comedy culture has changed since South Park first premiered. The show now has 26 seasons and over 300 episodes. She noted that comedy today requires more careful consideration. “You have to be more careful now, what you say,” she explained. “South Park had an episode where they represented… someone you wouldn’t want to represent on a show… and you could do it 20 years ago, but you can’t do it now.”
Although Brady feels conflicted about the rise of “cancel culture,” she believes that the evolution of comedy is a positive change. “Sometimes it’s good that you go, ‘oh, you shouldn’t do something that’s like, a racist phrase your grandparents would use,’” she said. “Times change and sometimes it’s good.”
Brady emphasized that while comedy hasn’t been “stifled,” it now requires a more thoughtful approach. “You need to be smarter to make a joke today,” she said. For Brady, comedy is about earning the audience’s trust, ensuring that jokes are not intended to harm anyone.
As comedy continues to evolve, Brady remains optimistic about the future of the genre. “Nobody wants to feel bad and, you know, we don’t want to do stuff that just makes people feel bad,” she concluded.
