7 celebrities you probably didn’t know guest-starred on South Park

South Park is known for its elaborate gags, dark plotlines, and memorable cameos. But with some celebrities taking on the most obscure roles, fans might have missed their voice in the grand scheme of chaotic things. From musicians like Elton John playing himself to actors like Norman Lear playing famous dead politicians, there is no dearth of funny moments with celebrities.

For close to three decades, this Trey Parker and Matt Stone animated sitcom has pushed the boundaries of humorous storytelling. It often intersperses socio-political commentary through its unique plot about four elementary school boys: Kyle, Kenny, Cartman, and Stan. Its iconicism is so long-lasting that sometimes celebrities request to make voice cameos.

Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong to the writer.

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Elton John, Norman Lear, and other celebrity cameos in South Park

1) Elton John as himself

Season 2, episode 14, Chef Aid

Elton John at Chef Aid (Image via South Park Studios)

Elton John, one of the most successful musicians ever, appeared in this star-studded episode. Chef suffers a financial loss in court and needs some help getting back on his feet. When the boys realize Chef knows a lot of famous musicians, they decide to sell candy to them and make money for him. When they host a "Chef Aid" fundraiser, the singers turn up, making it a grand success.

While Elton John's animated persona appears many times on South Park (notable episode includes An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig), he was voiced by Trey Parker before this episode. So fans might have missed his actual appearance. The musician performs the song Wake Up Wendy for Chef Aid, appearing alongside other industry stalwarts like Ozzy Osborne and PRIMUS.

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2) Norman Lear as Benjamin Franklin

Season 7, episode 4, I'm a Little Bit Country

Cartman goes back to the year 1776 (Image via YouTube/South Park Studios)

The boys sign up to protest the Iraq War to get out of school, but quickly get caught, not knowing anything about its history. While the town quickly dissolves into pro-war and anti-war factions led by Skeeter and Randy, Cartman electrocutes himself near a TV console full of colonial documentaries to invoke the Founding Fathers.

The Founding Fathers indeed show up in Cartman's coma-induced dreams, with award-winning screenwriter Norman Lear (All in the Family) as Benjamin Franklin. He advises Cartman that 'saying one thing and doing another' is the best way to go with anti-war and war sentiments. Lear worked with Parker and Stone as a creative consultant for season 7 and was a huge fan of the show.

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3) George Clooney as Sparky

Season 1, episode 4, Big Al's Big Gay Boat Ride

Clooney as Stan's dog (Image via YouTube/South Park Studios)

As one of the show's earliest fans, veteran actor George Clooney played a big part in South Park's success. According to the show's producer, Anne Garefino's interview with The Hollywood Reporter, published on September 14, 2016, he made copies of Trey and Parker's initial short film, The Spirit of Christmas, and sent it to his friends. However, when he got a cameo, it was for a hilarious role.

In this episode, Stan gets a new dog named Sparky, who is attracted to other male dogs. First embarrassed, he goes to great lengths to make his dog more masculine. By the end, he is more accepting of homosexuality. Clooney's role? Barking as Sparky when Stan tells his dog not to be gay.

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4) Elon Musk as himself

Season 20, episodes 8, 9, and 10, Members Only, and others

Cartman and Heidi visit SpaceX (Image via YouTube/South Park Studios)

Cartman and his girlfriend, Heidi, go to the SpaceX building to request a trip to Mars, where the "Wifi is shitty." They want to escape Earth and the vicious online trolls, but nobody at SpaceX has an answer until they see Elon Musk on a tour of the building. He breaks their delusion by saying they're at least 8 years away from going to Mars.

Later, Musk gets into an argument about Heidi's humor and smarts before she helps SpaceX figure out the discrepancies in their Mars plan. Finally, Cartman helps Musk evacuate the building after he fabricates a bomb threat from NASA. Musk appears for an extended storyline spanning three episodes.

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5) Jennifer Aniston as Miss Stevens

Season 3, episode 1, Rainforest Shmainforest

Miss Stevens with the kids at Costa Rica (Image via YouTube/South Park Studios)

A petty squabble results in the boys forcefully getting signed up for a choir tour in San José, Costa Rica, with Miss Stevens. From the moment they set foot into the country, they are met with bugs, rebel groups, and native tribes running them into quicksand. In the end, they sing a song about their horrible time there.

The award-winning and popular actress Jennifer Aniston plays the harrowed Miss Stevens in this episode of South Park. Not only is she stuck with a bunch of kids who hate the tour, but she is also targeted by bugs and almost sacrificed by the tribe. Aniston's profanities and frazzled voice acting are highlights of the episode.

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6) Sia as Lorde

Season 18, episode 3, The Cissy

Randy's Lorde is voiced by Sia (Image via YouTube/South Park Studios)

Randy's secret identity as the musical genius Lorde comes to a head in this episode. He is dangerously close to being outed, with Sharon finding his fishnet stockings, and a journalist almost writes a tell-all article. However, his song, Push (Feeling Good on a Wednesday) moves everyone.

Since Randy is usually voiced by co-creator Trey Parker, the singing voice came as a surprise to fans. The Cheap Thrills and Chandelier singer-songwriter Sia revealed to NME in an article published on 20th February 2015:

“Yeah, it was me. Trey [Parker] wrote it though. I was like, ‘Dude, you need to do this for a living’. That “push push” chorus is so catchy, it’s crazy."

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7) Henry Winkler as a kid-eating monster

Season 2, episode 7, City on the Edge of Forever (Flashbacks)

The elementary school bus gets into an accident (Image via YouTube/South Park Studios)

When an accident almost sends the elementary school bus off the edge of the cliff, the children hang in there and reminisce about the moments they spent together. They need to stay on the bus according to the teacher's orders, or they will become fodder for a monster. The episode does a fun throwback, but from different perspectives, so each of the boys remembers the moments differently.

But soon, the flashbacks leave the world of South Park and go across the TV show multiverse, revealing Arthur Fonzarelli from Happy Days (1974-1984), jumping over buses. While the actor who played Fonzarelli is Winkler, he does not voice the animated version. Instead, he contributes some scary growls coming from the monster who eats one of the children and kidnaps Kenny.

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Watch all episodes of South Park on Paramount+.

Edited by Pooja Kumar