Editing Xenu (section)

== In popular culture ==
[[File:South Park Xenu.jpg|thumb|Xenu as depicted in ''[[South Park]]'']]
Versions of the Xenu story have appeared in both television shows and stage productions. The [[Off-Broadway]] [[satire|satirical]] musical ''[[A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant]]'', first staged in 2003 and winner of an [[Obie Award]] in 2004, featured children in alien costumes telling the story of Xenu.<ref>{{cite news|first=David|last=Rooney |work=Variety|date=December 10, 2006|title=Theatre Review: A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117932286.html?categoryid=33&cs=1|access-date=November 22, 2008}}</ref><!-- commons picture at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:2007_A_Very_Merry_Xenu.jpg-->

The Xenu story was also satirized in a November 2005 episode of the animated television series ''[[South Park]]'' titled "[[Trapped in the Closet (South Park)|Trapped in the Closet]]". The [[Emmy Award|Emmy]]-nominated episode, which also lampooned Scientologists [[Tom Cruise]] and [[John Travolta]] as [[closeted]] homosexuals, depicted Xenu as a vaguely humanoid alien with tentacles for arms, in a sequence that had the words "This Is What Scientologists Actually Believe" superimposed on screen.<ref name="Arp2007">{{cite book|author=Robert Arp|title=South Park and philosophy: you know, I learned something today|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xTt5l12bsVkC&pg=PA137|access-date=January 23, 2011|year=2007|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|isbn=978-1-4051-6160-2|pages=137–138}}</ref> The episode became the subject of controversy when the musician [[Isaac Hayes]], the voice of the character "[[Chef (South Park)|Chef]]" and a Scientologist, quit the show in March 2006, just prior to the episode's first scheduled re-screening, citing ''South Park''{{'}}s "inappropriate ridicule" of his religion.<ref name=Rumble>{{cite news|first=Erin|last=Carlson|work=Concord Monitor|date=March 21, 2006|title=Rumble in 'South Park'|url=http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/rumble-in-south-park|access-date=January 22, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728070050/http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/rumble-in-south-park|archive-date=July 28, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Hayes' statement did not mention the episode in particular, but expressed his view that the show's habit of parodying religion was part of a "growing insensitivity toward personal spiritual beliefs" in the media that was also reflected in the [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|Muhammad cartoons controversy]]: "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."<ref name="StratynerKeller2009">{{cite book|author1=Leslie Stratyner|author2=James R. Keller|title=The deep end of South Park: critical essays on television's shocking cartoon series|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q_dHbk7CdOkC&pg=PA7|access-date=January 21, 2011|date=February 2009|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-4307-9|page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Isaac Hayes quits South Park|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/isaac-hayes-quits-south-park/2006/03/14/1142098436502.html|newspaper=[[The Age]]|date=March 14, 2006|access-date=January 24, 2011}}</ref>  Responding to Hayes' statement, ''South Park'' co-creator [[Matt Stone]] said his resignation had "nothing to do with intolerance and bigotry and everything to do with the fact that Isaac Hayes is a Scientologist and that we recently featured Scientology in an episode of South Park&nbsp;... In 10 years and over 150 episodes of South Park, Isaac never had a problem with the show making fun of Christians, Muslims, Mormons and Jews. He got a sudden case of religious sensitivity when it was his religion featured on the show. Of course we will release Isaac from his contract and we wish him well."<ref>{{cite news |last=Booth|first=Robert |author2=Agencies |title=Isaac Hayes Leaves South Park|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/mar/14/media.arts|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=March 14, 2006|access-date=January 24, 2011}}</ref>  Comedy Central cancelled the repeat at short notice, choosing instead to screen two episodes featuring Hayes. A spokesman said that "in light of the events of earlier this week, we wanted to give Chef an appropriate tribute by airing two episodes he is most known for."<ref name=Rumble /> It did eventually rebroadcast the episode on July 19, 2006.<ref name="Arp2007" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/718/718226p1.html|title=South Park 'Trapped in the Closet' Episode to Air Again|date=July 12, 2006|publisher=tv.ign.com|access-date=November 4, 2006}}</ref>  Stone and ''South Park'' co-creator [[Trey Parker]] felt that Comedy Central's owners [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] had cancelled the repeat because of the upcoming release of the Tom Cruise film ''[[Mission: Impossible III]]'' by [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]], another Viacom company: "I only know what we were told, that people involved with ''MI3'' wanted the episode off the air and that is why Comedy Central had to do it. I don't know why else it would have been pulled."<ref name="Pinsky2007">{{cite book|author=Mark I. Pinsky|title=The gospel according to the Simpsons: bigger and possibly even better! edition with a new afterword exploring South park, Family guy, and other animated TV shows|url=https://archive.org/details/gospelaccordingt0000pins|url-access=registration|access-date=January 24, 2011|date=June 2007|publisher=Westminster John Knox Press|isbn=978-0-664-23160-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/gospelaccordingt0000pins/page/294 294]}}</ref>