Dude! Isaac Hayes Quits South Park
By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press WriterMonday, March 13, 2006
(03-13) 13:40 PST New York (AP) --
Isaac Hayes has quit "South Park," where he voices Chef, saying he can no longer stomach its take on religion.
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."
7 Comments:
Could have been worse... might have been Rosie O'Donnell upset about how "her Tommy" was portrayed!
True, but it's a drag that they might have to drop the Chef character. He did great voice work!
Even if Isaac Hayes wanted to keep voicing Chef, I bet the "church" would have made him quit.
I believe it. They seem pretty 'hands on' in such matters.
This will be the best thing to happen to South Park in years. The show has always thrived on controversy, and the public outcry about offensive content died down yeas ago.
The writers will come up with a creative way to address Hayes leaving the show. I'm sure we'll see a self referential episode about recasting Chef, or they'll kill the character, or just give him a new voice and not even mention it.
Either way they'll get a lot of attention for this. And for a show that has, in my opinion, run it's course this may be the shot in the arm it needs.
It's a shame that Curtis Mayfield is dead.
Ditto Barry White. Pam Grier is still around, though...
I haven't seen past season six, so I can't tell how far the show has fallen in the last four years. Season six was wobbly, so I can imagine it might be suffering now, and might need a little reviving.
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