'South Park' creators call Paramount-Skydance merger 'a s‑‑‑show'

(The Hill) - The creators of "South Park" are blasting the planned merger between Paramount and Skydance following the delay of their animated series's season premiere.

"This merger is a s‑‑‑show and it's f‑‑‑ing up 'South Park,'" according to a Wednesday statement posted on social media from the Comedy Central show's account and attributed to creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

"We are at the studio working on new episodes and we hope the fans get to see them somehow," Parker and Stone's statement added. The two creators are reportedly in a battle over streaming rights for the long-running comedy program.

The response from Parker and Stone came after Comedy Central reportedly delayed the release of the 27th season of "South Park" by two weeks, from July 9 to July 23.

The show is known for satirizing the political climate and current events with razor-sharp and sometimes controversial and profanity-laden commentary. 

Paramount, which owns Comedy Central, is working to complete a megamerger with Skydance in a deal worth an estimated $28 billion. 

Paramount this week also agreed to pay some $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Trump over the CBS News interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris that aired on "60 Minutes" last year.