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South Park Creators Reveal Real Story Behind Isaac Hayes Quitting

By Tyler Brooke

EASTNOR, ENGLAND - AUGUST 5: Isaac Hayes performs on the Open Air stage during the third day of the Big Chill music festival at Eastnor Castle Deer Park in the Malvern Hills on August 5, 2007 in Herefordshire, England. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
EASTNOR, ENGLAND - AUGUST 5: Isaac Hayes performs on the Open Air stage during the third day of the Big Chill music festival at Eastnor Castle Deer Park in the Malvern Hills on August 5, 2007 in Herefordshire, England. (Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images) /
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With the 20th season of South Park starting on Wednesday, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone revealed the reason Isaac Hayes (aka Chef) left the show.

The hit Comedy Central animated series South Park has been one of the most successful TV shows of all time. The comedy is starting its 20th season on Wednesday night, but one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the show has been about the departure of Isaac Hayes, who played the voice of Chef.

Hayes was a known Scientologist and had left the show after the release of the “Trapped in the Closet” episode, which made fun of the religion. The belief was that Hayes was offended by the episode, but a recent interview with South Park creator Matt Stone and Hayes’ son revealed that Hayes had left because Scientology representatives told him to.

Here’s what Stone had to say according to The Hollywood Reporter:

"When we did the Scientology episode, [Isaac Hayes, who was a Scientologist] came over, and I sat with him. It was like a day or two after, and it was pretty obvious from the conversation that somebody had sent him to ask us to pull the episode. It had already gone on the air, and we didn’t tell him because we didn’t want him to be held accountable. Plausible deniability. [Four months after “Closet” aired, Hayes quit the show via a statement, supposedly in protest.]"

Hayes’ son also chimed in about the subject, speaking about how Hayes’ health at the time prevented him from making such a decision:

"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."

This was obviously a shocking decision at the time that resulted in the loss of one of South Park’s most popular characters. Now that we know what really happened, it’s a lot easier to understand why Hayes actually left.

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