 " Crippled Summer " was written and directed by series co @-@ creator Trey Parker , and was rated TV @-@ MA L in the United States . It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 28 , 2010 and served as the mid @-@ season finale of the fourteenth season before a months @-@ long hiatus for the series . Parker and fellow series co @-@ creator Matt Stone originally planned for the tenth season episode " A Million Little Fibers " to be about Towelie 's struggle to overcome addiction in the style of the television series Intervention , with the children and residents of South Park coming together to help him , just as it was done in " Crippled Summer " . However , after writing portions of the story for the tenth season episode , they found they did not know where to bring the story or how to resolve it . As a result , they completely revamped the episode and focused it on talk show host Oprah Winfrey and the controversy surrounding the James Frey book A Million Little Pieces , rather than Towelie 's addiction . " Crippled Summer " also marked the first appearance by Towelie since the " A Million Little Fibers " , and the first appearance of Nathan , Jimmy 's handicapped nemesis , since the eighth season episode " Up the Down Steroid " . 
