Scientology Actually Forced Isaac Hayes to Quit 'South Park'
In November 2005, South Park aired the infamous in which Stan joins Scientology. Along with Tom Cruise locking himself in a closet and Stan becoming the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, the episode includes segments explaining the actual Scientology doctrine, which involves dictator of the Galactic Confederacy Xenu bringing his people to Earth and killing them with hydrogen bombs.
South Park didn't have to do much to make fun of this batshit cult founded by a science fiction author. They simply explained the basis of the religion with the caption: "What Scientologists Actually Believe."
Anyway, the episode caused some controversy among noted Scientologists like Tom Cruise, who allegedly threatened to back out of his Mission: Impossible III contract if the Viacom-owned Comedy Central ever aired the episode again.
Among other enraged Scientologists was Isaac Hayes, who happened to voice the character of Chef on the series. Following the episode's first airing, Hayes publicly left the show in anger, saying in a statement, "There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends, and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins."
Matt Stone clarified at the time that Hayes indeed left the show because it made fun of Scientology.
[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Stories" customtitles="What Will South Park Predict in Season 20?|South Park Is Back and Taking on Kaepernick" customimages="|" content="article.48574|article.48552"]
"This has nothing to do with intolerance and bigotry and everything to do with the fact that Isaac Hayes is a Scientologist and that we recently featured Scientology in an episode of South Park," Stone said.
But according to a new oral history of the first 20 years of South Park, this might not have been the case. As Stone tells The Hollywood Reporter, they didn't show Hayes the episode before it aired because they didn't want him to be held accountable. After it aired, Stone said he came to them on behalf of Scientology to pull the episode. Four months later, he left the show. As Hayes's son tells The Hollywood Reporter:
Isaac Hayes did not quit South Park; someone quit South Park for him. What happened was that in January 2006 my dad had a stroke and lost the ability to speak. He really didn't have that much comprehension, and he had to relearn to play the piano and a lot of different things. He was in no position to resign under his own knowledge. At the time, everybody around my father was involved in Scientology - his assistants, the core group of people. So someone quit South Park on Isaac Hayes' behalf. We don't know who ... My father was not that big of a hypocrite to be part of a show that would constantly poke fun at African-American people, Jewish people, gay people-and only quit when it comes to Scientology. He wouldn't be that hypocritical.
This wouldn't be shocking, considering the lengths Scientology has gone to protect itself. Earlier this month, reports circulated that Katie Holmes could come forward as early as next year to spill details about Scientology and her marriage to Tom Cruise after signing a contract of silence after her divorce.
You Might Also Like
