The South Park episode "Trapped In the Closet," which mocks actor Tom Cruise's rumored homosexuality as well as his belief in the controversial religion Scientology, has finally been seen by the English. The episode had been banned from UK broadcaster Channel 4 after Cruise had complained.
According to the World Entertainment News Network, London's National Film Theater screened the episode on Monday, May 15. After the showing, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker spoke about the necessity of free speech. The event concluded with free copies of the episode being handed out to attendees.
In regards to possible action by the litigious Cruise, a spokesman for the Theater said, "If we were charging [for tickets] there may have been legal problems, but it was a free event, so it should be fine."
The episode in question involves Cruise locking himself into a closet, and various celebrities trying to coax him out. Eventually, John Travolta ends up in the closet with Cruise. Both Cruise and Travolta follow Scientology, a religion created in the 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard.
South Park also sparred with Scientology when Isaac Hayes, a Scientologist, quit the show because of its lampooning of the religion. The show had its revenge several days later in the season 10 premiere by killing Hayes' character Chef in a number of comedically horrible ways. The brouhaha helped the episode score exceptionally high ratings.
Comments (34)
Tom Cruise, please, what a donkey! how can anyone defend this moron?
i mean he's just an actor - never was and never will be a classic one, not one of those who will go down in history as an acting genius. he was just a pretty boy in the 80's and has lost touch completely with reality - hence scientology (THE most ridiculous CULT on the planet!) and hence the overgrown sense of his own importance. i mean WHO cares if he's gay really who? he clearly does! whoever actually thinks 'oh but his livelyhood depends on being a hetro guy' (like it would hurt the bank too much if he lost a bit of work) he'd be opening up to a whole new market.
(george michael did ok - to start with, til he started making out with truckers! although he's an idiot too).
Southpark however is a classic. every show has something in it - whether you find it funny or not, it has value and quite often brain food. as well as toilet humour. which is all good!
And PLEASE stop refering to Scientology as a RELIGION, that is just what they want it to be recognised as - it is NOT a religion, it is a CULT.
thangyouverymerch.moreless
Tom Cruise is just another cry baby celebrety trying to get whatever he wants by complaining and threating. Tom Cruise is a wack anyway and if Mission Impossible 3 wasn't filming at the time of the episode he would have never of gotten away with it. SOUTH PARK ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!
tom cruise is a whiner hes not even that good of an actor and EVERYONE loves the scientology episode nobody cares about what he thinks and no one should so shut up tom cruise and let the episode be aired again!!!!!!!!!
good god, free speech is so important. i can't believe that tom cruise has the gumption to try and get anything banned; in other COUNTRIES no less.
no one really gives a crap about tom cruise anyway and i love south park
Tom Cruise isn't my favorite actor so I say that this is making my day. Handing out free copies is great. Stick it to the man!
south park is a show where they make fun of people so they made fun of tom cruise so what
Who cares if a celebrity is made fun of. They should accept it and find it humourus. Besides who else we gonna make fun of? :)
You people are so insensitive. The creators of South Park are ruining Tom Cruise's image as a heterosexual male action star. That's his livelihood! What else is he to do if he can't make horrible action movies like Mission Impossible 3 (with Capote star Phillip Seymour Hoffman)?<br />
<br />
Honestly, I think everyone who is so concerned with Tom Cruise's sexuality must be gay... or else they would be worrying about much more important things...<br />
<br />
Like whether or not Katie Holmes is still a virgin. ;)<br />
<br />
20 bucks says yes. In-vitro fertilization!<br />
<br />
That's my theory.
Anyone else finding this funny besides me?
enough is enough. Just end this stupid dispute and move on<br />
I ALWAYS HATE SOUTH PARK. I GUESS I WILL ALWAY HATE IT. IT SUCKS
Tom Cruise- 1.sth useless, just know how to threaten sb by sueing him/her. 2.a crazy human being who jumped up to the couch in The Oprah Show. 3. a scietologist<br />
South Park- a famous TV show which did a great job on making fun of scietology, which is a religion which was formed because the prophet wants to make money. It also did a great job on making fun on Tom Cruise who is generally useless (please refer to Tom Cruise).
Boo Tom Cruise! Yay South Park! Don't listen to the garbage that spews out of that jerk's mouth and show the episode!
lol nice job on the free copies.
It really was one of the best South Park episodes in a looong time. Got me back into the show after not caring about it for 5 seasons, and they have been on a roll since then (with the exception of the incredibly stupid Oprah episode).
It is one of the Best episodes ever.
Every single report on this has said that Channel 4 (UK) is the network who refused to show Trapped In The Closet. Maybe Channel 4 would have refused to show the episode, given the legal implications, if they still had the rights to do so but Paramount 'Comedy' UK (and also MTV UK) have the rights to broadcast SP now so Channel 4 were not involved. This was about the right to free speech. I couldn't care less if Tom Cruise were gay; believing all that Scientology sh!te is much worse...
Every single report on this has said that Channel 4 (UK) is the network who refused to show Trapped In The Closet. Maybe Channel 4 would have refused to show the episode, given the legal implications, if they still had the rights to do so but Paramount 'Comedy' UK (and also MTV UK) have the rights to broadcast SP now so Channel 4 were not involved. This was about the right to free speech. I couldn't care less if Tom Cruise were gay; believing all that Scientology sh!te is much worse...
I'm happy that this episode was aired (saw it on Monday here in Canada) if for no other reason than it manages to maintain the series "mandate" that there are indeed no sacred cows. C'mon, how can you take on Judaism, Catholicism and Barbara Streisand and then not assert that Scientology and the media drive to expose the private life of stars are equally lampoonable. South Park... you make me laugh! Keep 'em comin'!
Cruise has become a freak.
Na,Na,Na,Na,Na,Na<br />
Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha Tom Cruise they have burned you.
some one needs to sacrifice tom cruise to a fictional god or something!... wait.. can i say that?
What is the big deal? Tom Cruise is a gay psycho... it's common knowledge over here in the USA... anybody who has seen any of his movies over the past 5-6 years has been wondering about his sexuality and then he starts dating a hot hot woman 20 years younger, proposes and gets her "pregnant"... maybe I'm just cynical but it sounds like the exact movements of a closet homosexual
South Park is the greatest and Scientology sucks you know what
If Tom Cruise isn't gay, I'll eat a placenta. People who try this hard to ban or cover up stories indicating they're homosexual are most likely just that. But y'all knew that, right?
amazing!,yay for south park!
South Park always gets the last word.
I've seen that South Park episode quite a few times and I loved it. <br />
<br />
www.xenu.net
If someone that insecure is doing trying to ban something as petty as this, he must be hiding something, the episode was funny and no one else complained about it apart from him.<br />
<br />
Grow up Tom, it's just a cartoon!
We all know that tom cruise is gay anyway!
Not defending Tom Cruise but I hate South Park.
ha! free copies handed out, quality! although i'm sure this ep actually aired on paramount uk a while back now<br />
<br />
tom cruise really is the biggest douche in the universe
There's no two ways about it - Tom Cruise is an idiot. He'd probably try and threaten legal action because of my comment...