Chef (South Park)
Encyclopedia
Jerome "Chef" McElroy is a fictional character on the Comedy Central
series South Park
. He was voiced by Isaac Hayes
. A cafeteria worker at the local elementary school in the town of South Park, Colorado
, Chef was generally portrayed as more level-headed than the other adult residents of the town and his guidance was often sought by the show's core group of child protagonists – Stan Marsh
, Kyle Broflovski
, Eric Cartman
, and Kenny McCormick
– as he was usually the only adult they consistently trusted. To an inadvertent fault, he would frequently give inappropriate advice, usually in the non sequitur form of a lascivious soul song
.
Chef was inspired by Hayes and other popular soul singers of the 1970s, as well as an actual dining hall worker encountered by series co-creator Trey Parker
while he attended the University of Colorado
. Chef played a less prominent role as the series progressed beyond its earlier seasons, and the character was killed off in the beginning of the tenth season in "The Return of Chef
", in response to public controversy with Hayes, who left the show after the controversial episode "Trapped in the Closet", which satirized
Scientology
.
, Chef is composed of simple geometrical shapes, and is animated with use of a computer, though he is given the impression of being a construction paper
cutout composition animated through the use of stop motion
, which was the technique used to animate the "Spirit of Christmas
" shorts and the show's first episode
. Chef is an overweight African-American who commonly wears blue pants and a red shirt. He wears a beard, and frequently dons a traditional chef's hat, even when he is not at work.
Until Token Black and his family had a more notable role starting in the show's fourth season
, Chef was portrayed as the only black resident in all of South Park. Parker and co-creator Matt Stone
initially planned to have one of themselves voice the character, fearing that their ideal candidates of Hayes, Lou Rawls
, and Barry White
would never agree to voice the character because the duo had admittedly and purposefully created him as a "stereotype" to reflect what they felt was the perception most inhabitants of less-diverse mountainous Colorado towns had of black people. However, Hayes agreed to voice the character due in part to the audacity of some of the show's early scripts. Chef (usually kindheartedly, though not always) referred to most people in town with the pejorative "crackas
", including the children.
Chef, after abandoning his musical aspirations, moved to South Park with plans to open his own restaurant. Before this, he had befriended several famous recording artists in the music industry, including Elton John
and Meat Loaf
, helping them to launch their successful careers. Despite failing at yet another dream, Chef made his way onto the South Park City Counsel, representing Public Safety. In addition to dispensing advice to the children and a few of the adult townsfolk, Chef spoke out against what he felt were outrageous ideas. For example, he opposed the rampant prescription of Ritalin
, and he objected to the town's acceptance of Mr. Garrison
committing purposefully flamboyant sadomasochistic acts in front of schoolchildren. Chef once briefly converted to Islam
and adopted the name "Abdul Mohammed Jabar Rauf Kareem Ali" when he demanded that South Park change its official flag because it depicted the town's racist past. On several other occasions, Chef has helped save South Park (and in a few other instances, the entire world) from potential disasters.
Chef is also known for frequently engaging in casual sex
, of which he often expressed his habit through song. He drove a 1980s "woodie" station wagon
with a vanity plate
that read "LUV CHEF". He was often seen accompanied by numerous young women when at home or on vacation, and was even revealed to have had a one-night stand with Kathie Lee Gifford
. He once resorted to male prostitution
in an effort to raise money to pay legal fees, and had sex with nearly every woman in South Park before having to stop due to exhaustion. Chef briefly became an office worker and took up monogamy
after meeting a woman named Veronica. The two were engaged to be married until it was revealed that Veronica was actually a succubus
.
Chef's parents, Nellie and Thomas McElroy, live in Scotland
. The couple have made two major appearances in the episodes "The Succubus
" and "The Biggest Douche in the Universe
", and made a brief cameo in a town Christmas celebration in "Red Sleigh Down
". Interestingly, they are not seen at Chef's funeral in "The Return of Chef".
Chef endearingly called the boys "the children" or just "children" (even when referring to one individually), and, unless he was preoccupied with a female companion, was usually willing to assist them with whatever help they needed. He was consistently the only adult in town who the boys held in high regard, and they viewed him as their friend. They were also visibly saddened when having to confront the possibility of not having Chef in their lives. In addition to being fans of his food, the boys would often heartily anticipate encountering Chef where he would serve them in the school lunchline so that they could explain whatever dilemma was affecting them, usually only after their traditional greeting:
The boys would sometimes take it upon themselves to travel to Chef's house individually, to seek his advice on all manners of their problems, specifically relationships. He would agree to give the boys explanations or advice in the form of a soul song, which usually wound up being solely about sex, whether or not sex was relevant to the topic at hand. Hearing the songs would often leave the boys even more confused and with no further understanding of what they were initially inquiring about. In earlier seasons, Chef was often approached by the children when they were unfamiliar with a sexual term or practice. This happened so often that it eventually aggravated Chef, who pleaded with them to stop asking questions he felt were not appropriate for him to answer (such as singing to them what a prostitute was and only stopping after spotting the principal, proclaiming "these children tricked me!"). Despite this, the children continue asking these questions, much to his anger. An absent-minded Chef would sometimes answer anyway, not realizing his lapse until the damage had been done. Chef would later acknowledge that doing this had repeatedly gotten him in trouble with his boss, Principal Victoria.
style he had utilized during his own music career. Within the show, Chef was the original composer of these songs, including "Stinky Britches
", which was depicted as having been covered by Alanis Morissette
without proper credit being given to Chef. When Chef was left with legal debt after losing a court case to have himself credited as the song's original writer, several bands and artists (guest starring as themselves) held a concert dubbed "Chef Aid" to raise the funds. The episode inspired an album
which includes many of the full-length versions of the songs Chef had performed in the show's first two seasons. As the series progressed and Chef's role became more intermittent, his spontaneous outbursts into song became less of a show standard.
Parker and Stone originally planned to have Chef sing a song in every single episode but abandoned the idea after finding it too challenging and fearing writing too many songs would make them less funny, similar to the logic they used when they stopped writing a death for Kenny
in every episode.
and XM's Opie and Anthony
Show, going so far as to note that although he was not pleased with the show's depiction of Scientology, he "understand[s] what [Matt and Trey] are doing." However, on March 13, 2006, nearly two months after suffering a stroke
, Hayes was reported to have quit South Park over objections to the show's attitudes toward and depiction of various religions, claiming that the show had crossed the line from satire
into intolerance. However, despite the content of the official press release, there remains considerable speculation about the motivations behind his departure. Parker and Stone assert that he quit due to the controversial episode "Trapped in the Closet", and its treatment of Scientology
, as Hayes was a member. Stone commented in a manner that suggested that Hayes practiced a double standard regarding the treatment of religion on South Park: "[We] never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we [lampooned] Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin." Fox News
reporter Roger Friedman suggested that, because he was still suffering from the effects of his stroke, Hayes was hospitalized and not in a position to make a rational decision to leave the show. Friedman also reported that Hayes left the show because of the external pressure forced by his fellow Scientologists and that the decision was not voluntary, and the original press release announcing his departure was put out by someone who was not authorized to represent him.
On August 10, 2008, Hayes suffered another stroke and died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee.
Nine days after Hayes's departure from production, he was satirized in the show's season 10 premiere "The Return of Chef
". For the episode, voice clips of Chef were taken from previous episodes and linked together to form new dialogue to support the plot, which involved Chef leaving South Park to join the "Super Adventure Club", which eventually brainwashed Chef until he had the mindset of a child molester
. The organization combines outdoor activities with child molestation
, an act they perceive as justified because of their bizarre religious beliefs (a not-so-subtle jab at Scientology).
As the boys attempted to rescue Chef from the club's headquarters, the people from the club reminded him of why he left South Park, and Chef decided to remain with the club. When he was walking back to the club, a rope bridge
he was standing on was struck by lightning
. He fell down and suffered a violent death, culminating with his mutilation at the hands of a grizzly bear
and a mountain lion. Finally, he discharges feces (a recurring death gag occasionally used in the series which Cartman claims confirms that person is really dead).
South Park held a memorial service for him (Canadian comedians Terrance and Phillip even attended, despite having never met the man themselves), in which Kyle gave a eulogy stating, "We shouldn't be mad at Chef for leaving us, we should be mad at that fruity little club for scrambling his brains", a deliberate jab at Isaac Hayes's life with Scientology.
Mimicking a scene from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
, Chef's body was secretly revived by the Super Adventure Club, who managed to make him a cyborg
— identified on the show's official website as "Darth Chef". He is fitted with a Darth Vader
-esque suit with a helmet similar to a chef's hat and was given a red spatula-shaped lightsaber
. Darth Chef's voice was provided by British comedian and filmmaker Peter Serafinowicz
, who voiced Darth Maul
in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
. Darth Chef has not made an appearance in subsequent episodes, but has appeared with other characters in the background of the South Park opening sequence.
South Park songs
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
series South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
. He was voiced by Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
. A cafeteria worker at the local elementary school in the town of South Park, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Chef was generally portrayed as more level-headed than the other adult residents of the town and his guidance was often sought by the show's core group of child protagonists – Stan Marsh
Stan Marsh
Stanley Randall "Stan" Marsh is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by and loosely based on series co-creator Trey Parker. Stan is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Kyle Broflovski, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
, Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Broflovski
Kyle Broflovski is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is voiced by co-creator Matt Stone. Kyle is one of the show's four central characters, along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, and Eric Cartman...
, Eric Cartman
Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman is a fictional character in the American animated television series South Park. One of four main characters, along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick, he is generally referred to within the series by his last name...
, and Kenny McCormick
Kenny McCormick
Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is one of the four central characters along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His oft-muffled and indiscernible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his...
– as he was usually the only adult they consistently trusted. To an inadvertent fault, he would frequently give inappropriate advice, usually in the non sequitur form of a lascivious soul song
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
.
Chef was inspired by Hayes and other popular soul singers of the 1970s, as well as an actual dining hall worker encountered by series co-creator Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
while he attended the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. Chef played a less prominent role as the series progressed beyond its earlier seasons, and the character was killed off in the beginning of the tenth season in "The Return of Chef
The Return of Chef
"The Return of Chef" is the first episode of the tenth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 140th episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 22, 2006. It was advertised as the tenth season premiere. The episode was the first after the...
", in response to public controversy with Hayes, who left the show after the controversial episode "Trapped in the Closet", which satirized
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
.
Character
In tradition with the show's animation styleCutout animation
Cutout animation is a technique for producing animations using flat characters, props and backgrounds cut from materials such as paper, card, stiff fabric or even photographs...
, Chef is composed of simple geometrical shapes, and is animated with use of a computer, though he is given the impression of being a construction paper
Construction paper
Construction paper is a tough, coarse, colored paper. The texture is slightly rough, and the surface is unfinished. Due to the source material, small particles are visible on the paper’s surface. It is used for projects or crafts....
cutout composition animated through the use of stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
, which was the technique used to animate the "Spirit of Christmas
The Spirit of Christmas (short film)
The Spirit of Christmas is the name of two different animated short films made by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They are notable for being precursors to the animated series South Park. To differentiate the two, they are often referred to as Jesus vs. Frosty and Jesus vs. Santa .- Jesus vs. Frosty...
" shorts and the show's first episode
Cartman Gets an Anal Probe
"Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" is the first episode of the animated television series South Park. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 13, 1997...
. Chef is an overweight African-American who commonly wears blue pants and a red shirt. He wears a beard, and frequently dons a traditional chef's hat, even when he is not at work.
Until Token Black and his family had a more notable role starting in the show's fourth season
South Park (season 4)
Season four of South Park, an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, began airing on April 5, 2000. The fourth season concluded after 17 episodes on December 20, 2000.- Episodes :-External links:...
, Chef was portrayed as the only black resident in all of South Park. Parker and co-creator Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
initially planned to have one of themselves voice the character, fearing that their ideal candidates of Hayes, Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
, and Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
would never agree to voice the character because the duo had admittedly and purposefully created him as a "stereotype" to reflect what they felt was the perception most inhabitants of less-diverse mountainous Colorado towns had of black people. However, Hayes agreed to voice the character due in part to the audacity of some of the show's early scripts. Chef (usually kindheartedly, though not always) referred to most people in town with the pejorative "crackas
Cracker (pejorative)
Cracker, sometimes white cracker, is a pejorative term for white people. It is an ethnic slur that is especially used for the white inhabitants of the U.S. states of Georgia and Florida , but it is also used throughout the United States.-Etymology:One theory holds that the term comes from the...
", including the children.
Chef, after abandoning his musical aspirations, moved to South Park with plans to open his own restaurant. Before this, he had befriended several famous recording artists in the music industry, including Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
, helping them to launch their successful careers. Despite failing at yet another dream, Chef made his way onto the South Park City Counsel, representing Public Safety. In addition to dispensing advice to the children and a few of the adult townsfolk, Chef spoke out against what he felt were outrageous ideas. For example, he opposed the rampant prescription of Ritalin
Methylphenidate
Methylphenidate is a psychostimulant drug approved for treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome and narcolepsy. It may also be prescribed for off-label use in treatment-resistant cases of lethargy, depression, neural insult and obesity...
, and he objected to the town's acceptance of Mr. Garrison
Herbert Garrison
Mr. Herbert Garrison is a recurring character in the American animated television series South Park. He is voiced by Trey Parker. For the first eight seasons of the series, the character was known as Mr. Garrison but underwent sex reassignment surgery in the season 9 episode "Mr. Garrison's Fancy...
committing purposefully flamboyant sadomasochistic acts in front of schoolchildren. Chef once briefly converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and adopted the name "Abdul Mohammed Jabar Rauf Kareem Ali" when he demanded that South Park change its official flag because it depicted the town's racist past. On several other occasions, Chef has helped save South Park (and in a few other instances, the entire world) from potential disasters.
Chef is also known for frequently engaging in casual sex
Casual sex
Casual sex or hooking up refers to certain types of human sexual activity outside the context of a romantic relationship. The term is not always used consistently: some use it to refer to any extramarital sex, some use it to refer to sex in a casual relationship, whereas others reserve its use for...
, of which he often expressed his habit through song. He drove a 1980s "woodie" station wagon
Station wagon
A station wagon is a body style variant of a sedan/saloon with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door , instead of a trunk lid...
with a vanity plate
Vanity plate
A vanity plate or personalized plate , prestige plate, private number plate, or personalised registration or custom plate or personalised plate is a special type of vehicle registration plate on an automobile or other vehicle...
that read "LUV CHEF". He was often seen accompanied by numerous young women when at home or on vacation, and was even revealed to have had a one-night stand with Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford is an American television host, singer, songwriter and actress, best known for her 15-year run on the talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin...
. He once resorted to male prostitution
Male prostitution
Male prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. Compared to female sex workers, male sex workers have been far less studied by researchers, and while studies suggest that there are differences between the ways these two groups look at their work, more research is needed.Male...
in an effort to raise money to pay legal fees, and had sex with nearly every woman in South Park before having to stop due to exhaustion. Chef briefly became an office worker and took up monogamy
Monogamy
Monogamy /Gr. μονός+γάμος - one+marriage/ a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. In current usage monogamy often refers to having one sexual partner irrespective of marriage or reproduction...
after meeting a woman named Veronica. The two were engaged to be married until it was revealed that Veronica was actually a succubus
Succubus
In folklore traced back to medieval legend, a succubus is a female demon appearing in dreams who takes the form of a human woman in order to seduce men, usually through sexual intercourse. The male counterpart is the incubus...
.
Chef's parents, Nellie and Thomas McElroy, live in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The couple have made two major appearances in the episodes "The Succubus
The Succubus
"The Succubus" is the 34th episode of Comedy Central's animated series South Park. It originally aired on April 21, 1999.-Plot:Eric Cartman must go to the local eye doctor, whom he hates because the doctor always makes fun of his obesity by referring to him as "Piggy"...
" and "The Biggest Douche in the Universe
The Biggest Douche in the Universe
"The Biggest Douche in the Universe" is the 15th episode of the sixth season of the Comedy Central animated series South Park. It was first broadcast on November 27, 2002 and was the last in a mini-arc depicting Cartman being occasionally possessed by Kenny...
", and made a brief cameo in a town Christmas celebration in "Red Sleigh Down
Red Sleigh Down
"Red Sleigh Down" is episode 96 of the Comedy Central series South Park. It originally aired on December 11, 2002. The episode is notable for the return of Kenny from his death in Season Five...
". Interestingly, they are not seen at Chef's funeral in "The Return of Chef".
Relationship with the children
Chef: Hello there, children!
The boys [in unison]: Hey Chef!
Chef: How's it goin'?
The boys [one or in unison]: Bad.
Chef: Why "bad"?
The boys would sometimes take it upon themselves to travel to Chef's house individually, to seek his advice on all manners of their problems, specifically relationships. He would agree to give the boys explanations or advice in the form of a soul song, which usually wound up being solely about sex, whether or not sex was relevant to the topic at hand. Hearing the songs would often leave the boys even more confused and with no further understanding of what they were initially inquiring about. In earlier seasons, Chef was often approached by the children when they were unfamiliar with a sexual term or practice. This happened so often that it eventually aggravated Chef, who pleaded with them to stop asking questions he felt were not appropriate for him to answer (such as singing to them what a prostitute was and only stopping after spotting the principal, proclaiming "these children tricked me!"). Despite this, the children continue asking these questions, much to his anger. An absent-minded Chef would sometimes answer anyway, not realizing his lapse until the damage had been done. Chef would later acknowledge that doing this had repeatedly gotten him in trouble with his boss, Principal Victoria.
Music
In addition to singing in an effort to explain something to the children, Chef would also sing about things relevant to what had transpired in the plot. These songs were original compositions written by Parker, and performed by Hayes in the same sexually suggestive R&BRhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
style he had utilized during his own music career. Within the show, Chef was the original composer of these songs, including "Stinky Britches
Chef Aid
"Chef Aid" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the animated television series South Park, 27th episode of the series overall. "Chef Aid" originally aired in the United States on October 7, 1998 on Comedy Central...
", which was depicted as having been covered by Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
without proper credit being given to Chef. When Chef was left with legal debt after losing a court case to have himself credited as the song's original writer, several bands and artists (guest starring as themselves) held a concert dubbed "Chef Aid" to raise the funds. The episode inspired an album
Chef Aid: The South Park Album
-Episode reference:- Singles :* "Chocolate Salty Balls "CD1# "Chocolate Salty Balls " - Performed By Chef# "Oh Holy Night" - Performed By Eric Cartman...
which includes many of the full-length versions of the songs Chef had performed in the show's first two seasons. As the series progressed and Chef's role became more intermittent, his spontaneous outbursts into song became less of a show standard.
Parker and Stone originally planned to have Chef sing a song in every single episode but abandoned the idea after finding it too challenging and fearing writing too many songs would make them less funny, similar to the logic they used when they stopped writing a death for Kenny
Kenny McCormick
Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character in the animated television series South Park. He is one of the four central characters along with his friends Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His oft-muffled and indiscernible speech—the result of his parka hood covering his...
in every episode.
Departure of Isaac Hayes
On January 4, 2006, Hayes defended South Park's style of controversial humor to The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
and XM's Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
Show, going so far as to note that although he was not pleased with the show's depiction of Scientology, he "understand[s] what [Matt and Trey] are doing." However, on March 13, 2006, nearly two months after suffering a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, Hayes was reported to have quit South Park over objections to the show's attitudes toward and depiction of various religions, claiming that the show had crossed the line from satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
into intolerance. However, despite the content of the official press release, there remains considerable speculation about the motivations behind his departure. Parker and Stone assert that he quit due to the controversial episode "Trapped in the Closet", and its treatment of Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
, as Hayes was a member. Stone commented in a manner that suggested that Hayes practiced a double standard regarding the treatment of religion on South Park: "[We] never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we [lampooned] Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin." Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
reporter Roger Friedman suggested that, because he was still suffering from the effects of his stroke, Hayes was hospitalized and not in a position to make a rational decision to leave the show. Friedman also reported that Hayes left the show because of the external pressure forced by his fellow Scientologists and that the decision was not voluntary, and the original press release announcing his departure was put out by someone who was not authorized to represent him.
On August 10, 2008, Hayes suffered another stroke and died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee.
Death of Chef
The Return of Chef
"The Return of Chef" is the first episode of the tenth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 140th episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 22, 2006. It was advertised as the tenth season premiere. The episode was the first after the...
". For the episode, voice clips of Chef were taken from previous episodes and linked together to form new dialogue to support the plot, which involved Chef leaving South Park to join the "Super Adventure Club", which eventually brainwashed Chef until he had the mindset of a child molester
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
. The organization combines outdoor activities with child molestation
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
, an act they perceive as justified because of their bizarre religious beliefs (a not-so-subtle jab at Scientology).
As the boys attempted to rescue Chef from the club's headquarters, the people from the club reminded him of why he left South Park, and Chef decided to remain with the club. When he was walking back to the club, a rope bridge
Rope bridge
A rope bridge is a bridge constructed chiefly of rope. In its simplest form, it can be one or two ropes that bridge a river, enabling the traveller to be supported in their crossing and not be swept away. One rope above another, for feet and hands, may be referred to as a commando bridge.More...
he was standing on was struck by lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
. He fell down and suffered a violent death, culminating with his mutilation at the hands of a grizzly bear
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
and a mountain lion. Finally, he discharges feces (a recurring death gag occasionally used in the series which Cartman claims confirms that person is really dead).
South Park held a memorial service for him (Canadian comedians Terrance and Phillip even attended, despite having never met the man themselves), in which Kyle gave a eulogy stating, "We shouldn't be mad at Chef for leaving us, we should be mad at that fruity little club for scrambling his brains", a deliberate jab at Isaac Hayes's life with Scientology.
Mimicking a scene from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth and final film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology....
, Chef's body was secretly revived by the Super Adventure Club, who managed to make him a cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
— identified on the show's official website as "Darth Chef". He is fitted with a Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
-esque suit with a helmet similar to a chef's hat and was given a red spatula-shaped lightsaber
Lightsaber
A lightsaber is a fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, a "laser sword." It consists of a polished metal hilt which projects a blade of light about 1.33 metres long. The lightsaber is the signature weapon of the Jedi order and their Sith counterparts, both of whom can use them for close...
. Darth Chef's voice was provided by British comedian and filmmaker Peter Serafinowicz
Peter Serafinowicz
Peter Szymon Serafinowicz is an English actor, comedian, writer, composer, voice artist and occasional director.-Early life:Serafinowicz was born in Liverpool, England. He attended Our Lady of the Assumption Roman Catholic Primary School and St Francis Xavier Secondary School...
, who voiced Darth Maul
Darth Maul
Darth Maul is a fictional character in the science fiction saga Star Wars. He is one of the main antagonists of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, portrayed by martial artist Ray Park and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz....
in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga, as the first of a three-part prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as the first film in the saga in terms...
. Darth Chef has not made an appearance in subsequent episodes, but has appeared with other characters in the background of the South Park opening sequence.
See also
- Chewbacca defenseChewbacca defenseThe Chewbacca defense is a legal strategy used in episode 27 of South Park, "Chef Aid", which premiered on October 7, 1998, as the fourteenth episode of the second season. The aim of the argument is deliberately to confuse the jury by making use of the fallacy known as ignoratio elenchi, or a red...
- Chocolate Salty BallsChocolate Salty Balls"Chocolate Salty Balls " is a 1998 song from the animated comedy TV series South Park, performed by the character Chef and featured on the soundtrack album Chef Aid: The South Park Album....
South Park songs
External links
- Chef at South Park Studios