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Topics: Joe Jonas, South Park, Disney, Celebrity, TV
Joshua Nair
Topics: Joe Jonas, South Park, Disney, Celebrity, TV
Joe Jonas was frank when looking back on the South Park episode where he and his brothers were poked fun at.
Almost every big name in Hollywood has been mentioned in the popular animated comedy TV series, so it's no surprise that the boy band were a target during their first stint together.
Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are known for their current, topical references to pop culture, and having been a prominent show on Comedy Central since its debut in 1997, there aren't any signs of it slowing down.
Fans have spent decades seeing the world through the eyes of the group of 10-year-olds in Colorado crew, with Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick making up the group.
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Known for its crude, dark humour, with episodes written in the week leading up to its air date, South Park has left no stone unturned when it comes to politics and celebrities in particular.
Given that the show recently went at billionaire Elon Musk, it seems there really isn't any fear in the writers' room.
But during an episode in March 2009, the show's target was Disney, and by association, the Jonas Brothers.
Known at the time for songs such as 'Burnin' Up' and 'Lovebug', the band were the next big thing and became the next target for the show's writers.
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In the episode titled 'The Ring' as part of season 13, the trio that made up the Jonas Brothers were parodied, focusing on their heartthrob status and that they wore purity rings as a sign of abstaining from sex until marriage.
South Park showed that the brothers were under the management of an evil, greedy Mickey Mouse in the episode.
Stan, Kyle and Cartman later confront the band for promoting the use of purity rings, which they agree with, but Mickey Mouse then loses it when he sees that they don't want to follow the strategy anymore.
As a result, Joe Jonas is brutally beaten up by the Disney figurehead in a violent scene that aired just weeks after the band's concert film, titled Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience.
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Speaking about the controversial episode for the first time on the Last Meals podcast, he admitted that he didn't mind the joke too much.
Jonas, 35, explained: "Our skin was not as thick back then, I think I was the only brother that loved it."
He added: "I thought it was hilarious, because I watched South Park, and I was like, 'This is so funny, I know what they're doing, they make fun of everyone!'"
Jonas went on to say: "To be made fun of by a comic is usually a sign that they give a s**t, and they care, and it's funny... they really went for us."
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The former DNCE frontman also said that the show was probably focusing more on the Disney corporation and their move to push boy bands onto their audiences, saying that 'they were going more so on the idea of what it is'.
Jonas even claimed that he still quotes lines from the episode, and admitted that it was 'an honour to get my a** kicked by Mickey'.
"I think it's one of my favourite episodes. And later on, now, we just laugh. We love that. I think it's so great. Definitely a claim-to-fame for me," he joked.
However, on a Reddit thread in 2016, brother and bandmate Nick Jonas revealed that he 'didn't think it was funny' when it came out, due to what they were experiencing at the time.
"But years later and once the purity rings were no longer around, it was very funny to me and I've actually watched the episode a few times," he said.