German DJ Zedd Banned In China For Liking ‘South Park’ Tweet

Zedd, the Russian-German DJ known for hits like “Break Free” with Ariana Grande and “The Middle” with Maren Morris, has been banned in China for liking a “South Park” tweet. The musician tweeted out the news on Friday, citing the animated show’s official Twitter account, which was later confirmed by his publicist.

“I just got permanently banned from China because I liked a @SouthPark tweet,” Zedd tweeted.

“This is true, yes, but we don’t have anymore info to give you at this time,” Adam Guest, senior entertainment publicist at the SATELLITE414 talent agency, told CNBC.

The long-running Comedy Central series has recently found itself in hot water with China following the premiere of “Band in China,” the second episode of its 23rd season, which critiqued and poked fun at the Chinese government’s censorship of media and mistreatment of prisoners, as well as the length’s that American businesses go to to do business with the country. Since the episode aired, the Chinese government has moved to clear almost all references to the show from the country’s Internet services and search engines.

The tweet in-question that got Zedd in trouble was one celebrating the show’s 300 episode milestone.

Since the controversy erupted, “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have issued an apology to the Chinese government, albeit a clearly insincere and tongue-in-cheek one in their trademark style.

“Like the NBA, we welcome the Chinese censors into our homes and into our hearts,” the creators’ official statement read. “We too love money more than freedom and democracy. Xi [Jinping] doesn’t look like Winnie the Pooh at all. Tune into our 300th episode this Wednesday at 10! Long live the Great Communist Party of China! May this autumn’s sorghum harvest be bountiful! We good now China?”