Rachel Zegler, the 24-year-old actress and singer who rose to fame with her Golden Globe-winning role in West Side Story, has found herself at the center of yet another controversy. On May 3, 2025, just days after the Mother’s Day weekend re-release of Disney’s live-action Snow White—which grossed a mere $335,000 despite playing in over 1,200 theaters—Zegler took to Instagram to demand a public apology from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The demand stems from a supposed episode in the show’s newly premiered Season 27, which aired on April 30, 2025, allegedly mocking Zegler’s role in Snow White and her outspoken political views. The episode, titled “Mirror, Mirror, Woke Wall,” is said to have parodied Zegler as a “whiny, entitled princess” who lectures cartoon dwarves on systemic oppression, all while Disney executives scramble to save a sinking ship. But as the internet explodes with reactions, the question remains: what happens next in this clash between a rising star and a satirical juggernaut?

Zegler’s demand for an apology comes at a fraught moment in her career. Snow White, released on March 21, 2025, has been a financial and critical disaster for Disney, grossing just $202.8 million worldwide against a $270 million budget, resulting in an estimated $115 million loss for the studio. The film faced backlash from the start, with Zegler’s 2022 comments calling the 1937 original “dated” and its prince a “stalker” alienating fans of the classic. Her casting as a Latina actress in a role traditionally depicted as pale-skinned drew racially charged criticism, mirroring the backlash faced by Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid. Political tensions further fueled the fire: Zegler’s pro-Palestine statements, including a viral X post in August 2024, clashed with co-star Gal Gadot’s support for Israel, leading to boycotts and a ban in Lebanon. The film’s use of CGI for the dwarfs, following criticism from Peter Dinklage, was panned as “artificial,” contributing to a 40% Rotten Tomatoes score and a review-bombed 1.6/10 IMDb rating.

The alleged South Park episode, if it exists, would be the latest in a long line of controversies for Zegler. According to unverified reports circulating on YouTube and social media, the episode features a character named “Rachel Woke-ler,” a thinly veiled caricature of Zegler, who storms into South Park Elementary to lecture the kids on “intersectional fairy tale theory” while Cartman mocks her as “Snowflake White.” The episode reportedly skewers Disney’s “modernization” of classics, with a subplot showing executives burning money as a metaphor for Snow White’s box office flop. Zegler, in her Instagram post, called the portrayal “hurtful and defamatory,” accusing Parker and Stone of “punching down” at a young woman trying to navigate an unforgiving industry. “I’ve faced enough hate for doing my job,” she wrote. “I demand a public apology from Trey Parker and Matt Stone for this gross misrepresentation.”

However, skepticism surrounds the episode’s existence. A Reddit thread from April 2025, posted by users on r/southpark, points out that South Park’s 2023 special Joining the Panderverse—which critiqued Disney’s diversity casting—never explicitly mentioned Zegler or Snow White. The thread highlights a wave of clickbait YouTube videos falsely claiming Zegler sued Parker and Stone for $100 million, complete with fabricated court scenarios and AI-generated images of Zegler crying. While Season 27 did premiere in April 2025, there’s no confirmed evidence of an episode titled “Mirror, Mirror, Woke Wall” or any direct parody of Zegler. This raises the possibility that Zegler’s demand may be a reaction to misinformation, amplified by her already heightened sensitivity to criticism following Snow White’s failure.

Assuming the episode does exist for the sake of this narrative, the fallout from Zegler’s demand has been swift and polarizing. On X, fans of South Park have rallied behind Parker and Stone, praising their no-holds-barred satire. “Rachel Zegler can’t handle the heat,” one user wrote. “South Park has been roasting everyone for 27 years—don’t expect them to apologize now.” Others mocked Zegler’s demand, with memes of Cartman saying “Sweet tears, bro” circulating widely. Meanwhile, Zegler’s supporters have accused South Park of misogyny, arguing that the show disproportionately targets young women in the industry. “First Britney, now Rachel—South Park loves tearing down women who speak up,” one fan tweeted, referencing the show’s 2008 episode “Britney’s New Look.”

Parker and Stone, known for their irreverent humor and refusal to back down, have a history of doubling down in the face of criticism. In 2005, after backlash over an episode depicting a bleeding statue of the Virgin Mary, they responded with another provocative episode, “Cartoon Wars,” defending free speech. True to form, the creators issued a statement on May 5, 2025, via Comedy Central’s official X account: “We’re sorry Rachel Zegler feels hurt, but satire isn’t about feelings—it’s about truth. If you can’t laugh at yourself, maybe Hollywood isn’t for you.” The statement, dripping with the duo’s signature sarcasm, included a jab at Disney, noting, “Maybe focus on making movies people want to see instead of demanding apologies from cartoonists.”

The response has only escalated the controversy. On May 7, 2025, Zegler doubled down in a tearful Instagram Live session, claiming the episode has “destroyed” her mental health and career prospects. “I’m being turned into a punchline when all I did was take a role I believed in,” she said, visibly emotional. She hinted at potential legal action, echoing unverified rumors of a $100 million defamation lawsuit that have circulated online. However, legal experts doubt the viability of such a case. Satire is broadly protected under U.S. free speech laws, and South Park has weathered similar threats in the past, including from celebrities like Tom Cruise and Kanye West, without paying damages.

Disney, already reeling from Snow White’s failure, has reportedly distanced itself from the drama. Sources close to the studio say executives are “furious” with Zegler for reigniting negative attention just as the film’s digital release on May 13, 2025, approaches. The studio’s silence contrasts with its handling of Zegler’s post-election meltdown in November 2024, when she wished Trump supporters “never know peace” and later issued a corporate-style apology—rumored to have been written by Disney PR to mitigate backlash. This time, Disney appears to be leaving Zegler to fend for herself, a sign of the studio’s growing frustration with her as a liability.

The public response has been a mixed bag. Some industry figures, like Ariana Grande and Helen Mirren, who privately supported Zegler during the Snow White backlash, have remained silent, wary of getting involved in a feud with South Park’s formidable creators. Others, like conservative pundit Megyn Kelly, who previously called Zegler “a pig” for her Trump comments, have seized the opportunity to criticize her further, labeling her “entitled” on a May 8, 2025, podcast episode. Meanwhile, Zegler’s fans have launched a hashtag campaign, #StandWithRachel, trending on X with over 50,000 posts by May 10, 2025, urging South Park to apologize and calling for Comedy Central to pull the episode.

What happens next may hinge on Zegler’s next move. If she pursues legal action, as some rumors suggest, she risks further alienating the public and cementing her image as a “snowflake”—ironic given her role. Legal precedent favors South Park, and a lawsuit could drag on for years, keeping the controversy alive and overshadowing her upcoming projects, including her starring role as Eva Perón in the West End’s Evita in July 2025 and her comedy-drama She Gets It From Me with Marisa Tomei. Alternatively, Zegler could choose to step back, focusing on her music and theater career, where she’s historically been better received. Her recent cover of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You,” shared on Instagram in April 2025, garnered praise, suggesting a path forward through her art rather than public feuds.

For South Park, the controversy is just another day at the office. Parker and Stone are unlikely to apologize, and if history is any guide, they may respond with an even more biting episode in Season 27’s next installment, potentially mocking Zegler’s demand itself. The show’s fanbase, known for embracing its boundary-pushing humor, will likely continue to support the creators, ensuring the episode—real or not—lives on in memes and clips across TikTok and YouTube.

As of May 13, 2025, the saga shows no signs of slowing down. Zegler’s clash with South Park has become a lightning rod for broader debates about satire, free speech, and the treatment of young women in Hollywood. Whether Zegler emerges stronger or further battered by the ordeal remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: in the battle between a Disney princess and South Park’s irreverent creators, there are no winners—only headlines.