Hollywood Breakdown
Breaking down the massive deals for ‘South Park’ creators and Reese Witherspoon’s company
The creators of “South Park” and Reese Witherspoon probably aren’t often discussed together, but both recently closed $900 million deals.
By Matthew Belloni • • 4m ListenUnlikely as it may seem, Reese Witherspoon has something in common with Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of the long-running Comedy Central cartoon, “South Park.” Both recently made $900 million deals.
Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s $900 million deal with ViacomCBS includes the promise of 14 new “South Park” movies — two per year, starting this year — for the streamer Paramount+.
At the moment, there is no “South Park” content on Paramount+. The show’s library was sold to HBO Max in 2019. The new movies will be a way of getting the “South Park” name back on its home studio’s streamer.
Witherspoon’s media company Hello Sunshine sold to an unnamed company that’s backed by private equity giant Blackstone and run by former Disney executives Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs.
Hello Sunshine doesn’t own assets, but brings with it a certain sensibility, powerful branding and bonuses like a Reese Witherspoon book club.
