While Issac Hayes says he quit South Park because of “intolerance and bigotry,” Matt Stone and Trey Parker continue to do what they do best – goad and poke everyone and anyone.
In the February issue of GQ, the South Park creators said Hayes was the only reason they had not went after Scientology yet. But it had gotten to the point that unless they mentioned the cult religion of Tom Cruise, they would have lost what made their show original.
Parker said: “To be honest, what kept us from doing it before was Isaac Hayes. We knew he was a Scientologist. And he’s an awesome guy. We’re like ‘Let’s just avoid that for now.’ … Finally we just had to tell Isaac, ‘Dude, we totally love working with you, and this is nothing personal, it’s just we’re ‘South Park,’ and if we don’t do this, we’re belittling everything else we’ve ripped on.”
Then came the news that Cruise had threatened to sit out all promotion of Mission Impossible 3, if Comedy Central ran the Scientology episode again. MI:3 is a Paramount Pictures film, which along with Comedy Central is owned by Viacom. Cruise has denied the rumors, but as always South Park has the last laugh.
Parker and Stone released the following statement:
So, Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war for earth has just begun! Temporarily anozinizing our episode will NOT stop us from keeping Thetans forever trapped in your pitiful man-bodies. Curses and drat! You have obstructed us for now, but your feeble bid to save humanity will fail! Hail Xenu!!!
– Trey Parker and Matt Stone, servants of the dark lord Xenu.
Thanks to Ace, here is the actual episode. It is legal because Stone and Parker are going around Viacom and have given permission for it to be show to be downloaded.
Now that South Park has no restraints from going after Scientology, you can bet that the cult will be lampooned often. Why can Scientology and Islam not understand it? The more you try to stop people from poking fun of your religion, the worse it gets. I wonder if Xenu is Danish?
UPDATE: Maybe Chef didn’t quit. Maybe Scientology quit for him. The plot thickens.