Issac Hayes to Matt and Trey: Suck my chocolate salty balls

[J@3]

Well, paraphrasing perhaps but Isaac Hayes, the voice of Chef, has quit South Park due to their take on religion. They're pissed at him, and have responded as such. This should get interesting...

By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer 22 minutes ago

NEW YORK -
Isaac Hayes has quit "South Park," where he voices Chef, saying he can no longer stomach its take on religion.
ADVERTISEMENT

Hayes, who has played the ladies' man/school cook in the animated Comedy Central satire since 1997, said in a statement Monday that he feels a line has been crossed.

"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," the 63-year-old soul singer and outspoken Scientologist said.

"Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored," he continued. "As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."

"South Park" co-creator Matt Stone responded sharply in an interview with The Associated Press Monday, saying, "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians."

Last November, "South Park" targeted the Church of Scientology and its celebrity followers, including actors
Tom Cruise and
John Travolta, in a top-rated episode called "Trapped in the Closet." In the episode, Stan, one of the show's four mischievous fourth graders, is hailed as a reluctant savior by Scientology leaders, while a cartoon Cruise locks himself in a closet and won't come out.

Stone told The AP he and co-creator Trey Parker "never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin."

[BOSS]

OOOH NOO ! NOT CHEF !
But ye South Park is funny but they go overboard with something sometimes.

[KIG1]

damn that is really strange,

How can you go on south park for so long and just now say you wanna quit because of religious beliefs? It makes fun of them all the time

[cyanide]

Ahh, he's a Scientologist. South Park made a show on Tom Cruise and a mockery on Scientology, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's the only reason why he left, as Matt Stone pointed out. Well, after reading the second half of the article, whatever I said above is now useless.

[Matt]

they barely used Chef in the new episodes anyway.

[Blasphemy]

Ahh wonder what they'll do. I bet he'll be in one mroe episode and he'll die or something.

[Jing]

aw crap. oh well.

[ixcuincle]

RIP Chef



He was a funny character and one of my favorites. It's a pity he won't be around anymore (unless the situation is resolved or they get a new voice). But chef will never be the same.

[Andreas Dahl]

Damn sad that it went down like that, and I blame it on the scientology cult. I wouldn't be suprised if it was them that convinced him to quit.
But I guess it would be kind of funny to see Chef stay and have some scrawny Asian voice or something like that instead all of the sudden


On a side-note, has anyone on the NLSC become a scientologist?

[BIG GREEN]

OH NO!, WHAT WILL THE BEST ADULT ANIMATED TV SHOW EVER DO WITHOUT CHEF! ..the all mighty fucking isaac hayes and his pure 'has been' played out 70's ass will be missed.

[The GOAT]

well this sucks big hairy balls

[Buckley]

shit i just heard about that.

i had no clue hayes was a scientoligist.

[Led Zeppelin]

I never even knew there was a thing called Scientology. I thought it was made up.

[Mazzocchi]

No
Chef was awesome.

I wonder how they'll kill him off.

[Bang]

Funny I never thought Isaac Hayes was a Scientologist. That's hilarious.

Chef was a great character though. I wonder if they'll kill him off or just hire another person.

[Laxation]

omfg this is awesome! mr. derp is coming back!!!

[zmac]

South Park died out for me 4 years ago......but I still have the Soundtrack around here somewhere

[Jugs]

Suck on my chocolate salty balls

stick 'em in ya mouth n suck 'em

[Andrew]

That's a shame. Even if his role has diminished in recent years, Chef still definitely had his moments.

No disrespect to Issac Hayes but I have to side with Matt and Trey on this one. I can understand why he might feel offended by the content but his argument is certainly hypocritical given he seems to be fine with other religions being mocked. And speaking of intolerance and bigotry, he didn't seem to have any problems delivering that line back in Season 2 about it being OK to make fun of people from other countries because they live there but not to make fun of minorities living in America because they were born in America; a line intended to be satirical but still showing "intolerance and bigotry" on the part of the character.

Hayes has a right to be offended and all, but he should at least admit the real reasons he's quitting. Instead he comes off as saying "A joke's fine, so long as it's directed at everyone else." South Park holds NOTHING sacred. If he was truly concerned about the material he should have and would have quit years ago.

It's interesting to note that Nancy Cartwright did not walk out on The Simpsons when they did the "Joy of Sect" episode, which was a satirical look at cults/alternative religions and in some ways could have been a veiled shot at Scientology (being that it's one of the more prominent ones).

[Fenix]

OMG, they made fun out of Tom Cruise! Them bastards.

[Matt]

i wanna see that episode....probably wont be here for a while. Scientology = ass.

[Andrew]

It's a pretty episode. They haven't lost the touch.

[cyanide]

On a side-note, has anyone on the NLSC become a scientologist?

I wouldn't be surprised if that someone has already been banned.

[Jugs]

What exactly is scientology?

[Laxation]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ScientologY

link for episode is here:
- Link removed