On November 16, 2005, a ‘South Park‘ episode aired that became one of the most controversial in the show’s history. ‘Trapped in the Closet‘ did not just make fun of Scientology. It put Tom Cruise right in the middle of a media storm that led to threats of a boycott, an actor quitting, and what the press started calling “Closetgate.”
In the episode, Stan Marsh accidentally joins Scientology and gets declared the reincarnation of the founder L. Ron Hubbard. When Cruise shows up to get approval from the “prophet” and only gets a lukewarm response, he locks himself in Stan’s closet and refuses to come out. That was a joke about the long-standing rumors regarding Cruise’s sexuality. He is later joined in the closet by John Travolta and a gun-holding R. Kelly.
The Isaac Hayes Resignation Controversy
The most daring part of the episode came when it showed Scientology’s secret creation story about Xenu and intergalactic volcanoes. An on-screen caption said, “This is what Scientologists actually believe.” That honest reveal turned out to be very provocative.
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The controversy hit its peak in March 2006. As the network got ready to air the episode again, reports emerged that Cruise threatened to back out of promoting ‘Mission: Impossible III‘ if Comedy Central re-ran it. The movie was distributed by Paramount Pictures, which is owned by Viacom, the same company that also owns Comedy Central. The network suddenly pulled the episode and put ‘Chef’s Chocolate Salty Balls’ in its place.
Comedy Central said the change was to honor Isaac Hayes, who had just announced he was leaving the show. Hayes, who voiced Chef and was a Scientologist, said he quit because of how the episode treated religion. He stated, “There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends, and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins.”
But ‘South Park’ co-creator Matt Stone saw it differently. He said, “He has no problem—and he’s cashed plenty of checks—with our show making fun of Christians… He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin.” Years later, Hayes’ son confirmed his father had suffered a stroke and was in no condition to resign. That suggested the decision was actually made by Scientologist associates.
Tom Cruise Denied Involvement
Cruise’s publicist strongly denied his involvement and told the Associated Press the allegations were “not true” and that “he never said that.” Cruise himself talked about it on ABC’s “Primetime” in mid-April 2006. He said, “Could you ever imagine sitting down with anyone? I would never sit down with someone and question them on their beliefs… I honestly didn’t really even know about it. I’m working, making my movie, I’ve got my family. I’m busy.”
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Even with the denials, the controversy created a lot of publicity. Stone and Parker later admitted on a podcast that the episode was “really about getting sued.” They said “everyone knew Scientology was so litigious” and that “they bullied Hollywood and scared people into [fearing] saying the word Scientology.“
The Legacy of the Episode
The last line of the episode was “Sue me, I dare you!” That was a direct challenge to Scientology’s reputation for suing people. The closing credits only listed “John Smith” and “Jane Smith” to protect crew members from possible lawsuits.
Fans organized an online boycott of ‘Mission: Impossible III.‘ The episode found new life on YouTube and was viewed over 700,000 times after the rebroadcast got cancelled. The episode even got an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program.
For all the controversy, “Trapped in the Closet” became one of ‘South Park’s‘ most famous episodes. It proved that for Parker and Stone, no subject and no celebrity was off limits. As Stone and Parker later reflected, poking at “openly litigious people” was just part of the show’s DNA.
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