Did Hayes really quit South Park?

Mar 23, 2006 by Ian Evans

The whole South Park/Isaac Hayes story is getting a little cloudy.

FOXnews’ Roger Friedman wrote an article a few days ago that suggests that someone else issued the press release where Hayes resigned from the show. He says that Hayes has been recuperating from a January stroke and also found the timing odd, since the release was issued four months after the episode aired.

The New York Post’s Page Six did some digging too and they claim that the release was not issued by Hayes, but by a fellow Scientologist. They claim, “That release was put out by fellow Scientologist Christina “Kumi” Kimball, a fashion executive for designer Craig Taylor.”

Also surfacing on the Web is a December 2005 clip from the Opie & Anthony Show. The radio hosts question Hayes about the ribbing his religion took on South Park and Hayes replies that Matt and Trey lampoon everybody and, “If you take that s—t serious, then I’ll sell you the Brooklyn Bridge for $2.”

How will Matt Stone and Trey Parker react to this? After the initial press release, the pair killed off Chef in the series opener. Time will tell how they’ll react to this unfolding story.