Isaac Hayes Quits South Park

[Stephen of Borg 2]

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Soul singer Isaac Hayes said Monday he was quitting his job as the voice of the lusty character "Chef" on the satiric cable TV cartoon "South Park," citing the show's "inappropriate ridicule" of religion.

 

But series co-creator Matt Stone said the veteran recording artist was upset the show had recently lampooned the Church of Scientology, of which Hayes is an outspoken follower.

 

"In ten years and over 150 episodes of 'South Park,' Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslim, Mormons or Jews," Stone said in a statement issued by the Comedy Central network.

 

"He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show."

 

He added: "Of course we will release Isaac from his contract, and we wish him well."

 

In a statement explaining his departure from the show, Hayes, 63, did not mention last fall's episode poking fun at Scientology and some of its celebrity adherents, including actor Tom Cruise.

 

Rather, Hayes said the show's parody of religion in general was part of what he saw as a "growing insensitivity toward personal spiritual beliefs" in the media, including the recent controversy over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad.

 

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs ... begins," Hayes said.

 

The crudely animated cartoon, heading into its 10th season next week as one of Comedy Central's biggest hits, centers on the antics of four foul-mouthed fourth graders in the town of South Park, Colorado.

 

Outlandish religious satire has been a mainstay of the show since its debut on the Viacom Inc.-owned network in 1997. The series grew out of two short films by Stone and collaborator Trey Parker -- "Jesus vs. Frosty" and "The Spirit of Christmas," the latter featuring a martial-arts duel between Jesus and Santa Claus over the true meaning of Christmas.

 

Hayes, the first black composer to win an Oscar for best song with his theme to the 1971 film "Shaft," gained renewed fame on "South Park" as the voice of Jerome "Chef" McElroy, the school cafeteria cook whom the boys often seek out for advice.

 

In an episode last fall, one of the gang, Stan, scores so high on a Scientology test that church followers think he is the next L. Ron Hubbard, the late science-fiction writer who founded the religion. Hayes did not take part in that episode.

 

In an interview with Reuters late last year, Hayes talked about a foundation he formed to bring Scientology-based study techniques to disadvantaged inner-city schools, in partnership with fellow devotee Lisa Marie Presley.

 

"But it's not religious," he said then, describing himself as Baptist by birth and Scientology as "an applied religious philosophy."

 

Comedy Central spokesman Tony Fox said producers have not decided whether Chef would be dropped from the show or continued with another actor supplying his voice.

[ARMS 0]

Shame, but he should have laughed it off.

[Jack_Bauer 1]

Have to agree with Matt Stone and Trey Parker on this one. Hayes has made money and said nothing when South Park lampooned every other religions (just last night, I watched a hilarious episode where David Blaine starts his own religion and is fought by the Super Best Friends (Jesus, Buddha, Shiva, Tao, Moses, the founder of Mormon, Mohammed and Seaman with his partner Swallow ). But suddenly when they set their sites on Scientology, it's religious intolerance, ridiculous.

 

I'll miss Chef but what are you going to do?

[Kor37 9]

Should be easy enough to find another black actor with a deep voice. Hmmmmm......I wonder how busy Michael Dorn is these days?.................

[ARMS 0]

I heard that people of that religion have to spend 2 minutes a day clapping at a picture of the founder, who started the religion for ca$h

[APW 0]

I thought Hayes reason for leaving was pretty lame.

I dislike SP for all the reasons Hayes pointed out, but in all honesty, SP has been bashing religious people from day 1 and he just noticed it?

 

He has other reasons, I'm sure. Maybe he thought they'd want to keep him so badly that they'd offer him more cash.

 

Anyhoo, that's my 2 cents. Oh! I found a website about scientoogy. It's linked below.

Scientology

[sikkbones 0]

let chef take his ball and he can go play with the other lunatics while giving tom cruise an anal probe.

 

 

anyone think saint thomas of the cruise and sir john of the travolta had anything to do with chef's demise?

[Charface 0]

Like some of the other posters in this thread I do find Hayes' excuse rather hypocritital, but I hardly watch the show anymore anyways. I do watch the movie if it's airing; I still laugh at that everytime.

[sea trooper 0]

That is very ridiculous. Hayes was a good Chef but if he's going to act like this then say good riddance. Michael Dorn would make an awesome Chef. Matt and Trey are big Trek fans and Dorn isn't doing anything better. Dennis Haysbert would be great too.

[KIMIMELA 1]

 

Never liked South Park. Some parts ...actually... offended me. It just wasn't funny, it was nasty.

[youbroughtheryouRiker 2]

Maybe it is a little hypocritical, but Trey and Matt need to be knocked down a peg or two. South Park has put more barbs than wit on their jokes, making bolder social statements, and has really started pulling out all the stops. Their digs in the past, with the possible exception of Mormonism, had never been so patently geared at humorlessly discrediting a belief system than when they took a shot at scientology. Parker and Stone need to remember that their FIRST duty (and yes, I said duty) is to entertain. If it's not funny, they shouldn't go with it.

[ARMS 0]

BUT IT IS FUNNY.

 

GET A SENSE OF HUMOUR

 

 

Adam

[Theunicornhunter 2]

I suppose it is possible that being the butt of the joke gave Hayes insight into how he'd been treating everyone else....the old "a mile in a neighbor's mocassins" kind of thing. It's never too late to learn, but it is also possible it's just an excuse.

 

Since I don't find crude, intentionally insulting or hate provoking "humor" humorous - I don't watch this show.

Edited March 15, 2006 by TheUnicornHunter

[youbroughtheryouRiker 2]

Don't get me wrong, ARMS, I do love South Park (and moderators, please don't edit his telling me to get a sense of humor. I'm not offended by the remark, and don't feel attacked anyways, since I love the show); however, you cannot deny that the humor has become less and less "saying the crude thoughts that we're all thinking" and more along the lines of "ok, let's lambaste THIS group tonight." They've blended the two together in the past, and it worked, but they are becoming more and more about tearing down other groups than being funny.

 

And "In The Closet" was NOT a funny episode. The R. Kelly singing, and the "in the closet" joke got old REALLY fast, just like the "That's ignorance" line in the Michael Jackson episode. They seriously need to focus more on being funny.

[sea trooper 0]

I thought all of that was pretty funny. I love Michael Jackson, I support him all the way, but I laughed at that episode and I always will laugh, only because I think it's truly funny.

[ARMS 0]

Don't get me wrong, ARMS, I do love South Park (and moderators, please don't edit his telling me to get a sense of humor. I'm not offended by the remark, and don't feel attacked anyways, since I love the show); however, you cannot deny that the humor has become less and less "saying the crude thoughts that we're all thinking" and more along the lines of "ok, let's lambaste THIS group tonight." They've blended the two together in the past, and it worked, but they are becoming more and more about tearing down other groups than being funny.

 

And "In The Closet" was NOT a funny episode. The R. Kelly singing, and the "in the closet" joke got old REALLY fast, just like the "That's ignorance" line in the Michael Jackson episode. They seriously need to focus more on being funny.

I like you.

 

 

The first episodes looking back were only funny because I was a little immature, but the new episodes are so reflective of this crazy world we're living in, that only the kids know whats really going on, but are too young to know what to do, and the adults don't have a clue but seem to think they do. They just poke fun at it!

 

 

Anyone see the Wal Mart episode

 

"It's too late for me boys, I have to buy this stuff!"

Edited March 15, 2006 by ARMS

[Tina 0]

God I love those two

 

 

Trey and Matt i mean

 

Chef will not be missed- he was in like one episode last season(One one about hippies)

[sikkbones 0]

I just got a very out-there thought: what if this is a hoax?

 

Now hear me out. This is very unlikely, but think about it--Isaac Hayes has had no problem with Matt and Trey in the past, and didn't have any issue with Trapped in the Closet when it first aired. Now all of a sudden, coincidentally 1.5 weeks from the season premiere, this comes out of left field? What if...what if this is all just an elaborate set-up to a Chef-related series premiere?

 

Yes, it's highly unlikely. But it'd be a rather clever marketing campaign, and I wouldn't put it past the South Park guys to pull something like this off.

[Jack_Bauer 1]

I just got a very out-there thought: what if this is a hoax?

 

Now hear me out. This is very unlikely, but think about it--Isaac Hayes has had no problem with Matt and Trey in the past, and didn't have any issue with Trapped in the Closet when it first aired. Now all of a sudden, coincidentally 1.5 weeks from the season premiere, this comes out of left field? What if...what if this is all just an elaborate set-up to a Chef-related series premiere?

 

Yes, it's highly unlikely. But it'd be a rather clever marketing campaign, and I wouldn't put it past the South Park guys to pull something like this off.

Hayes wasn't happy at the time it aired (Chef does not appear in Trapped in The Closet) but this could have something to do with the episode being banned in the UK because cry baby Tom Cruise threatened to sue if it aired.

 

Matt Stone and Trey Parker did make a good point about lampooning Scientology. Basically, they said that they had to do it because to make something "off limits" would be belittling everything else they have already lampooned in the past. And Tom Cruise are an extremely easy target.

 

And hey, these guys have had absolutely no reservations about making fun of themselves and their own religions.

[youbroughtheryouRiker 2]

 

The first episodes looking back were only funny because I was a little immature, but the new episodes are so reflective of this crazy world we're living in, that only the kids know whats really going on, but are too young to know what to do, and the adults don't have a clue but seem to think they do. They just poke fun at it!

That's another thing, too. It's gotten way too formulaic.

 

Anyone see the Wal Mart episode

 

"It's too late for me boys, I have to buy this stuff!"

 

Saw it. It was decent.

 

 

Jack, it's not about the lampooning of scientology that I take issue with. But they actually went so far as to call it a money-making scam. They haven't done that to any religion (even Judaism, for all they've done with that). And it wasn't a hyperbolic twist like they normally do with plot lines (like a goat getting mistaken for Stevie Nicks, even the other members of Fleetwood Mac). They made no jokes in the actual ridicule of scientology.

 

It was funny with Tom Cruise at first, and if you remember, that started when Stan called Tom a mediocre actor, not when he knocked scientology. The people in the closet had nothing to do with putting down scientology.

 

But like I said, that joke got old REALLY fast.

[Jack_Bauer 1]

 

The first episodes looking back were only funny because I was a little immature, but the new episodes are so reflective of this crazy world we're living in, that only the kids know whats really going on, but are too young to know what to do, and the adults don't have a clue but seem to think they do. They just poke fun at it!

That's another thing, too. It's gotten way too formulaic.

 

Anyone see the Wal Mart episode

 

"It's too late for me boys, I have to buy this stuff!"

 

Saw it. It was decent.

 

 

Jack, it's not about the lampooning of scientology that I take issue with. But they actually went so far as to call it a money-making scam. They haven't done that to any religion (even Judaism, for all they've done with that). And it wasn't a hyperbolic twist like they normally do with plot lines (like a goat getting mistaken for Stevie Nicks, even the other members of Fleetwood Mac). They made no jokes in the actual ridicule of scientology.

 

It was funny with Tom Cruise at first, and if you remember, that started when Stan called Tom a mediocre actor, not when he knocked scientology. The people in the closet had nothing to do with putting down scientology.

 

But like I said, that joke got old REALLY fast.

I actually haven't seen Trapped in the Closet yet as I don't get Comedy Central and Fox only has up to season 6 (and some 7) in syndication.

[MrPsychic 1]

Matt and Trey will be on David Letterman tonight, I'm sure they'll talk about it.

[Tina 0]

I am still pissed i missed meeting them on monday

 

MY SOURCES SUCK

[MrPsychic 1]

I am still pissed i missed meeting them on monday

 

MY SOURCES SUCK

tape it tonight then.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

 

And hey, these guys have had absolutely no reservations about making fun of themselves and their own religions.

 

***edited***

 

I seriously doubt these guys have their "own religions" but if they did - I'm not sure their fellow believers would be any less insulted.

Edited March 16, 2006 by TheUnicornHunter

[Wishfire 2]

Personally, I don't care. I don't watch South Park. Well, i do now and then, but that equals about 1 episode every few months. All in all, I don't find it very amusing, and I only watch it when there's nothing better on.

[Tina 0]

I taped it- it was boring

 

All in all they are funny guys-i just don't like Letterman

[sea trooper 0]

I taped it- it was boring

 

All in all they are funny guys-i just don't like Letterman

He made fun of James Doohan's death. He should be very disliked.

[Tina 0]

I taped it- it was boring

 

All in all they are funny guys-i just don't like Letterman

He made fun of James Doohan's death. He should be very disliked.

 

 

Very Disliked!!!!!

[MANVERU 0]

Oh for gods sake.

 

Who bloody cares. I'm sure heeps of people working on South Park have been offended on one this or the other that the show has pulled off over the years.

 

But seriously, this guys an idiot, They've picked on WAY more hurtfull things compared to "Scientology"

Like, they've done HEEPS of shows on bagging out African Americans!!!

 

Take the boy Token for example, some of the stuff they say about him are disgusting, but still the crew and audience shrugged it off.

 

Anyway, I guess my point is, The guy who played chef really needed to think about this longer