South Park co-creator Matt Stone has turned the tables on the cancel culture and TV critics by criticizing them for what he sees as their hypocritical takes on comedian Dave Chappelle’s new Netflix stand-up special.
Stone made the comments Thursday to The Hollywood Reporter on the occasion of Comedy Central’s announcement that South Park has been renewed through 2022.
Chappelle’s Netflix show Sticks and Stones received mostly negative reviews from critics who didn’t appreciate the comedian’s jokes about transgender people and sexual assault victims. But Netflix subscribers overwhelmingly liked it, according to a 99% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Stone said the negative reviews for Chappelle likely came from industry pressure on critics to take an establishment stance on political incorrect content, like Chappelle’s hour-long show.
“They may have laughed like hell at that, and then they went home and they know what they have to write to keep their job,” said Stone. “So when I read TV reviews or cultural reviews, I think of someone in prison, writing. I think about somebody writing a hostage note. This is not what they think. This is what they have to do to keep their job in a social media world. So I don’t hold it against them.”
The report noted that Stone and co-creator Trey Parker are deeply irked by the rise of so-called “cancel culture.”
“It’s new,” Stone said, referring to boycotts started usually by leftists online when a person or group is offended by something said. “I don’t want to say it’s the same as it’s always been. The kids are fucking different than us. There’s a generational thing going on.”
Stone also expressed pride in South Park‘s recent decision to forgo jokes about President Donald Trump. (The series has mocked Trump in the past).
“I think it was nice for people to watch and go, ‘Oh, yeah, there is still comedy outside of fucking Donald Trump. There is still funny shit as the world goes on.’ And you can get your Trump comedy on so many other shows,” he said.
South Park has experienced its share of controversies in the past, including a storyline involving the Muslim prophet Muhammad. It has also tackled such hot-button issues as illegal immigration and the transgender movement.
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