Confused by the messy melee this week involving South Park, Isaac Hayes, Scientology, and Tom Cruise?
There are many burning questions: Did Comedy Central yank this week’s scheduled rerun of the Cruise- and Scientology-spoofing ”Trapped in the Closet” episode in deference to Hayes or under pressure from fellow Scientologist Cruise? Did Cruise threaten not to publicize Paramount’s summer tentpole movie Mission: Impossible 3 if Comedy Central (like Paramount, a division of Viacom) aired the episode again?
We don’t know, but maybe this timeline will help you untangle the events and decide for yourself:
Nov. 16, 2005 The ”Trapped in the Closet” episode airs for the first time. In anticipation of the episode, Radar Online asks whether the episode poses any problems for Viacom or Cruise. Reps for Paramount and Cruise decline to comment, but Comedy Central spokesman Tony Fox says Trey Parker and Matt Stone ”are free and have been free to satirize anybody and anything they want to. They’ve made fun of MTV, they’ve made fun of Viacom, they’ve made fun of Comedy Central, and we’ve never interfered with them.”
Jan. 4, 2006 The Onion’s A.V. Club publishes an interview with Hayes, in which he disputes Parker and Stone’s take on Scientology, but defends their right to lampoon any target. ”I understand what they’re doing,” he says, laughing.
Jan. 20 ”Trapped” is yanked from England’s Paramount channel; U.K. tabloid The Sun claims the decision was made out of fear of litigation from Cruise.
Early 2006 Comedy Central schedules South Park‘s Season 10 premiere for March 22.
March 13 Hayes announces he’s quitting the show, citing what he calls its religious bigotry. He does not mention ”Trapped.”
March 13 Stone responds to Hayes’ departure, telling the Associated Press:”This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology… Hehas no problem — and he’s cashed plenty of checks — with our showmaking fun of Christians.”
March 15 Comedy Central pulls a scheduled rerun of the”Trapped” episode in favor of ”Chef’s Chocolate Salty Balls.” Theshift is so abrupt that the Comedy Central website still lists ”Trapped” as the scheduled episode two days later.
March 16 Blog Hollywood, Interrupted claims Tom Cruise pressured Comedy Central to yank the episode by threatening not to promote M:I 3.
March 16 A Cruise rep denies to Variety that the actor said any such thing about M:I 3;no word, however, on whether Cruise leaned on Comedy Central. Parkerand Stone respond to the schedule change in a statement: ”So,Scientology, you may have won THIS battle, but the million-year war forearth has just begun!”
March 17 Comedy Central tells New York Post’s Page Sixit made the change in homage to Hayes: ”In light of the events ofearlier this week, we wanted to give Chef an appropriate tribute byairing two episodes he is most known for.” Page Six speculates that”Trapped” may never air again and may be excluded from the Season 9DVD.
There you go: the "facts." Do with them what you will.
Hey Tom, Cruise back to your Scientology spaceship filled with cleansed dead aliens and go home!
That would suck if they took that episode out of the DVD. Right now I wouldn’t put anything past our dear friend Mr. Cruise. He’s a wild man, look what he did to promote “War of the Worlds”…he got engaged!! We earthlings just don’t know what he’s capable of…
Amazing. Trey and Parker even say “I dare you to sue me” in the episode. It was like they really wanted to bring this to the forefront. I like to pick fights, but these doods is some kind of crazy to pick fights with the Catholic Church and then dis the Scientologists in the same season. Them sound like some powerful, and if I might add, litigious, enemies.
On the other hand, I hope Trey and Parker pick fights with everyone! They’ve made fun of my people, and pretty much everyone else on or off the planet. Why people gotta be hatin’?
Stephanie, if you are upset, why don’t you go away? huh?
It is America not III reich
Get Lost Steph. You are glib
Backing Stephanie here…
I have had it with all these idiotic scientologists. I think Charlie Manson’s cult, though more murderous, made a lot more sense than scientology.
I hope Isaac Hayes realizes that by quitting, he managed to give South Park a ton of publicity and draw attention to how crazy scientology is. But then again, that wouldn’t really bother him, because scientology tells you to go on a walk and admire the trees if something is bugging you. So he and Tom Cruise and Jenna Elfman must be going on a lot of nature walks.
If you are looking to watch the episode…
Forget Tom Cruise and Isaac Hayes! I’m amazed that we haven’t heard a peep out of John Travolta, who also was lampooned in the “Trapped in the Closet” episode! Is he the coolest guy in the universe who can laugh about other people’s perceptions of him or something?
If Isaac Hayes wants to quit over Scientology, fine. But he oughta’ be upfront about it. As Matt and Trey have pointed out, he’s being a hypocrite for letting everything else slide and just getting angry when they mocked his own religion.
Furthermore, as far as I know, nothing in that Scientology episode warrants a lawsuit. The “church” can try, but it’s extremely hard to sue over satire, no matter how badly said satire depicts you, because it’s protected under the First Amendment (see Hustler v. Falwell). Not to mention that Scientology is practically “libel proof,” because the majority of Ameircans think they’re ridiculous anyway.
I’m very disappointed that Viacom would bow down to Scientology like this. Cruise is just acting like a spoiled brat who lacks the ability to laugh at himself. Who cares if the “church” has money? Take a stand, and don’t let some whackos push you around!
If “Trapped in the Closet” doesn’t make it onto the season 9 DVD set, it’ll just become even more of a “legend.” The more Scientology fusses about it, the more they’re just hurting themselves and giving South Park more publicity. ‘Cause, guess what? The bootlegs are all over the place!
Tom Cruise acts like a Communist Ruler. He thinks he has the power to control the world and everyone in it. Such a self-righteous jerk. God knows what Nicole Kidman had secretly taped of his private phone calls or how she was able to endure a facade for 10 years. All I know is you’re not even allowed to make fun of Scientology! This is freakin a democracy. He thinks he’s more powerful than the president. At least it’s ok to make fun of people in the white house! Very scary indeed. He’s just a film star, my god! He’s even made people afraid to come out and speak against him – he’d probably blacklist them. Thank god Brooke Shields had the guts to come out against him. We need people like Matt and Trey and really everyone needs to NOT go see his next damn movie. This man must be stopped.
Tom Cruise and Isaac Hayes: Grow a sense of humor, you self righteous jerks. If you don’t like what I have to say, sue me. SUUEE MEEEE!!!!!
Parker and Stone are what make this country great, they say what they want and no one can stop them, not even tom cruise, even if they dont show the episode again everyone knows what it said and in the end crusie comes out looking like an idiot and south park gets tons of free ads. I say that if the episode does not some how see the light of day by the time M:I 3 comes out I am boycotting it and I hope many other lovers of free speach join me.
I think that Stone and Parker are handling the whole incident correctly, especially in their letter that they sent from their lawyer, in which they claimed they were “servants of the dark lord Xenu.” Good for them.
It is insane for the show to get more backlash from Scientology than from Christianity, Islam, or Judism. Does that mean that other folks should be louder? Well, truthfully, the episode did question their whole belief system.. but would any of us have known about it otherwise?
Well, I salute the two of them, and I wish them the best.
Tom Cruise is a sad, sad little man. The only TC movie I’ve ever seen is Risky Business, and that’s only to hear the song “Old Time Rock and Roll.” You know he’s not gonna be recognized for his acting abilities, so he’s got to get noticed somehow. As for Isaac Hayes, man, I’m disappointed. I always though Chef was cool. Now we know he’s a humorless dweeb. Sigh.
If they keep the episode from the Season 9 box set, I’ll be pissed off. That’s censorship, and all because of a fake religion. You’ve got to be kidding me.
WATCH OUT FOR MY DC-8… of DOOM!!