"South Park" fans still look back fondly at Chef Jerome McElroy, or just Chef as the kids called him. Voiced by Isaac Hayes, Chef was a major presence throughout the first eight seasons. He was there to offer the kids advice and lend a sympathetic ear. But at a certain point, the character's presence in the series dwindled, and in season 10, the show killed him off.
How'd they kill him? Well, they had the wooden bridge he was walking on get struck by lightning. Chef, burning alive from the subsequent
fire, fell down a canyon while hitting every jagged rock on the way down. He landed on a sharp tree branch that impaled him, and was then mauled to death by both a mountain lion and a grizzly bear. It's the sort of death that immediately makes you wonder if there was something going on behind the scenes. Why such a sudden, gruesome death for such a long-term beloved character?
For years, the official story was that Hayes, who'd joined the Church of Scientology in the mid-'90s, had been offended by the show's previous jokes at Scientology's expense. The straw that broke the camel's back was supposedly the season 9 episode "Trapped in the Closet," which still ranks among the best "South Park" episodes for many. This episode really laid into the church hard, and the fan narrative was that Hayes quit the show after having had enough of the Scientology bashing.
That would certainly make sense given the actual plot of Chef's last episode, which revolves around the kids' discovery that Chef's been brainwashed by the Super Adventure Club, a shady cult that's clearly a stand-in for Scientology. The boys almost succeed in de-brainwashing him, but Chef returns to the cult and is quickly punished by God with that deadly lightning strike.
It seemed pretty clear that "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were angry with Hayes for quitting the show over his devotion to Scientology, so they brutally killed off his character in revenge. But it turns out there's more to the story.
Read more: 5 Banned South Park Episodes You Can't Watch On Max
Isaac Hayes Didn't Quit 'South Park.' Scientology Quit For Him
In 2008, two years after Chef's death on the show, Isaac Hayes passed away in real life. In July 2025, the musician-actor's son, Isaac Hayes III, took to X and posted an explanation for what really went down:
"After the episode 'Trapped in the Closet' aired in 2005, my father suffered a stroke just a few months later that left him unable to speak or make decisions on his own. He was not in any condition to resign from anything. The truth is, someone else within his Scientology circle made that decision and quit the show for him. ... The narrative that he quit because he was offended by the satire is not true. That was a cover story created by others. My father never got to speak for himself because his health robbed him of that chance."
Haye's stroke in early 2006 was well-documented at the time and was reported to have affected his speech and memory. (His death two years later was reportedly caused by another stroke.) Adding more credibility to Hayes' son's claims are the interviews Hayes had before his stroke. In a January 2006 interview with AV Club, he did express some annoyance with the show's take on Scientology, but his tone seemed pretty amiable overall.
In 2006, journalist/gossip blogger Roger Friedman also dismissed the rumors that Hayes quit "South Park" of his own accord. "Last November, when the 'Trapped in a Closet' episode of the comedy aired, I saw Hayes and spent time with him in Memphis for the annual Blues Ball," he wrote for Fox News. "If he hated the show so much, I doubt he would have performed his trademark hit song from the show, 'Chocolate Salty Balls.' He tossed the song into the middle of one of his less salacious hits and got the whole audience in the Memphis Pyramid to sing along. I can tell you, Hayes was very pleased with himself, was in a great mood and, as always, loved his fans' coming up to him and asking him about Chef."
The defense echoed what Hayes' son said in that same statement of his from July:
"He loved being the voice of Chef. He loved the character. He loved connecting with fans. He would joke with people who recognized his voice and he truly enjoyed being part of the show. ... He did not leave South Park willingly. He was forced out by illness and by people who did not have his best interest at heart."
Has 'South Park' Been The Same Without Chef?
Despite Isaac Hayes' involvement in Scientology, many "South Park" fans mourned the demise of Chef and still long for the days when he was a regular presence on the show. For many, Chef represents "South Park" during its prime, when the show was still young and fresh and more in touch with the innocence of its main kid characters. Although many believe that "South Park" has stayed remarkably consistent over the years compared to other adult animated shows like "Simpsons" or "Family Guy," the series has definitely had a gradual turn away from the kids and towards the adult characters like Stan's dad, Randy.
Chef came from a time when "South Park" was clearly about the four main boys, and he served the important purpose of being a genuinely warm, thoughtful presence the kids could look up to. Ignoring his habit of breaking out into horny songs, Chef was a character created with little of the show's usual cynicism. When he was written out of the series, "South Park" lost touch a bit with its more childlike side.
Of course, even if "South Park" hadn't killed off Chef, he likely would've had to be written out soon anyway. Hayes passed away two years after Chef's on-screen death, and it seems unlikely the writers would've callously hired a replacement actor for the beloved character. In hindsight, Chef was always doomed. Some characters have gotten to stick around on "South Park" for the entire run so far, while others have been doomed to only stick around for part of it. It's sad, but at least Chef has kept his place in fans' hearts, unlike other written-off characters like Pip Pirrup (whose eponymous episode is among the worst in "South Park" history) or Veronica Crabtree. RIP Chef: We hope you can sing all the horny ballads you want up in heaven.
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