South Park co-creator Trey Parker has made a short joke apology to President Donald Trump for ridiculing him in the opening show of their 27th season.

The episode, broadcast on Wednesday, made several jokes at the US president’s expense, including depicting him naked in bed with Satan.

After it aired, the White House described South Park as a “fourth-rate” show that was “hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention”.

Asked about the reaction during a panel at Comic-Con International in San Diego, Parker said, with a mock-serious face: “We’re terribly sorry.”