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• ObjectiveSubversive political parodies elicit laughter to discredit a politician and are increasingly popular on social media, thus threatening the attitude toward the politician. However, not all political parodies are equally detrimental. In this context, our research examines two factors that influence the evaluation of the parody and the types of audiences that might be receptive to it. • MethodologyBuilding on two controlled experiments, we test two key variables that characterize the reactions toward political parodies and their toxicity: the parody content and the predisposition toward the parodied politician. • ResultsExtending research on political marketing, we demonstrate that a political attack based on an issue compared with a personal attack is more detrimental to his/her attitude through the mediating roles of perceived ethicality and parody attitude. • Managerial and societal implicationsWe identify the most harmful parodies to a politician’s attitude management and provide a set of guidelines and recommendations to both politicians and parodists. • OriginalityWe show that personal attacks trigger counterproductive effects, with a more positive evaluation of the parodied politician among his/her detractors because of the perceived unethicality of such a practice.