| "Tonsil Trouble" | |
|---|---|
| South Park episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 12 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Written by | Trey Parker |
| Production code | 1201 |
| Original air date | March 12, 2008 |
"Tonsil Trouble" is the first episode in the twelfth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 168th episode of the series overall. Written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 12, 2008.[1] In the episode, Eric Cartman contracts HIV due to a botched blood transfusion. When Kyle Broflovski laughs at Cartman's misfortune, Cartman intentionally infects Kyle with his disease as well. The episode was rated TV-MA L for strong language in the United States. In reruns, it airs with the tamer rating TV-14. The episode is a satire on the new and effective AIDS treatments that are inaccessible to the majority of the population suffering from or carrying the disease.