South Park Creators Respond To Episode-Disappearing Scientologists

Defamer ^ | March 17, 2006

[EveningStar]

The attorney for South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone issued this official statement to us via e-mail late yesterday addressing the Scientology-clowning, Tom-Cruise-baiting "Trapped in the Closet" episode that Comedy Central quietly disappeared on Wednesday night, reportedly because of threats Cruise made to parent company Viacom. And yes, it's really from their lawyer:...

[Bogey78O]

Maybe we need to start catapulting ourselves into their corporate buildings.

[snarks_when_bored]

Okay, Scientology sliced and diced (deservedly so).

Next? islam.

We'll be waiting, boys...

[Panerai]

"South Park Mohammed-cartoon episode" - this has become their own cartoon episode :)

[robertpaulsen]

"to keep everyone from seeing the episode is way off the scale."

Plus, it was a re-run which makes it even more ludicrous.

[Caesar Soze]

Does anyone know if Trey and Matt plan a South Park Mohammed-cartoon episode?

Been there, done that.

No, they haven't, since the Mohammed cartoons only became an international issue after the last season ended. (Perhaps you misread the post and thought he was just asking about an episode with Mohammed?)

[CounterCounterCulture]

sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

[freeplancer]

I am making a list of all your names to give to the church and you better get lawyers.

[EricT.]

LMAO!!!! That episode was all kinds of funny! "Tom Cruise, come out of the closet!" The real funny part was that all the people named in the credits were John Smith and Jane Smith, which rolls right after the Scamitologists threaten to sue anyone questioning their "religion".

I have heard alot of stuff about Scamitology, and South Park nailed these hucksters cold.

[sully777]

I like the quote from them concerning Chef, Isaac Hayes: "He has a problem with us crossing some line about "religion" but he had no problem all these years cashing checks when we [lampooned] christians."

Some would call that blatant self-serving, self-righteous hypocrisy, which is typical in the groupthink surrounding organizations such as Scientology.

[Tribune7]

Are these people just nuts?

Yes

BTW, the site has a link to a video of the episode.

[AmishDude]

They released it via their lawyer.

I just wonder if, after all these years, a cartoon -- and more importantly their overreaction to it -- will bring down Scientology.

It hasn't worked for Islam, but we have to start small.

[AmishDude]

They released it via their lawyer.

I just wonder if, after all these years, a cartoon -- and more importantly their overreaction to it -- will bring down Scientology.

It hasn't worked for Islam, but we have to start small.

[antiRepublicrat]

This is right along the lines of another previous reply. Someone posted a sick parody of the Mastercard commercials ("For everything else, there's Mastercard") to rec.humor.funny (netfunny), using the Columbine attacks. Mastercard sent a ceace & desist letter to netfunny, demanding they remove the joke because it violated their trademarks and copyright. But this was Brad Templeton's reply (no kidding):

Web site hosting for anybody: $10/month and up

Threatening letters to people who satirize you, hoping they won't know the law: $500

Reputation as giant corporation required to intimidate small publishers: $billions

Supreme court decisions protecting parody and satire from accusations of copyright and trademark infringement... Priceless

There are some rights money can't buy. For everything else, there's Mastercard's lawyers.

I guess Mastercard didn't realize they were sending that C&D to the chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit that fights for rights in the digital age.

[AmishDude]

I saw Matt and Trey on Charlie Rose a while back. They said that they have wanted to do an episode on islam but the execs were afraid for their safety and wouldn't let them.

Says it all, doesn't it?

[AmishDude]

Xenu made me post twice.

[stockstrader]

I guess that Islam proves once and for all then that threats and intimidation DO work!

[antiRepublicrat]

Is he trying to imply that there is some segment of the population that South Park has gone out of it's way NOT to offend?

Until recently there was only one -- Scientology.

[MotleyGirl70]

I don't watch much S.P., but I've heard alot about that episode. I'll watch it later.

[antiRepublicrat]

They released it via their lawyer.

I want to be their lawyer. Plenty of work and laughs all the time.