:Matt Stone

Stone was born in Houston, Texas, to economics professor Gerald Whitney Stone and Sheila Lois (Belasco). He is of Irish-American heritage from his father's side and Jewish heritage from his mother's side.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/apr/01/art.artanddesign|title=The Observer profile: Matt Stone and Trey Parker|last=Harris|first=Paul|date=April 1, 2007|work=The Guardian|access-date=February 25, 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200508/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2007/apr/01/art.artanddesign|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/south-park-at-200-trey-parker-and-matt-stone-apologize-to-no-one/|newspaper=The New York Times|title='South Park' at 200: Trey Parker and Matt Stone Apologize to No One|first=Dave|last=Itzkoff|date=March 10, 2010|quote=My mom is Jewish, we've certainly done our share of making fun of Jews. It just didn't feel totally honest not to do it because of that.|access-date=September 6, 2017|archive-date=December 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208040147/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/south-park-at-200-trey-parker-and-matt-stone-apologize-to-no-one/|url-status=live}} The South Park characters Gerald and Sheila Broflovski were named after them. Stone and his younger sister Rachel were raised in Littleton, Colorado, a suburb of Denver, where they attended Heritage High School.{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/matt-stone-20989817#awesm=~oFvIkTQn7Q6WOw |title=Matt Stone biography |publisher=Biography.com |access-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-date=October 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002020135/https://www.biography.com/people/matt-stone-20989817#awesm=~oFvIkTQn7Q6WOw |url-status=live }} He attended the University of Colorado Boulder. His father was worried he would "become a musician and a bum", so he insisted that his son major in something "practical". They compromised on Matt's majoring in both mathematics and film. Stone graduated with a double-major Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993.[https://medium.com/@EricWoodliff0/trust-your-instincts-it-made-matt-stone-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-35925f977399 Trust Your Instincts: It made Matt Stone Hundreds of Millions of Dollars!] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200852/https://medium.com/@EricWoodliff0/trust-your-instincts-it-made-matt-stone-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-35925f977399 |date=June 24, 2021 }} medium.com. September 2015. Quoting professor Ralph Byrnes via Facebook.

In 1992, Stone, Parker and Ian Hardin founded a production company named the Avenging Conscience. The company was named after the D. W. Griffith film by the same title (which was actively disliked by the group).{{cite magazine|last=Roberts|first=Michael|title=The South Park Anniversary: The First Trey Parker–Matt Stone Interview|url=http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2007/08/the_south_park_anniversary_the.php|magazine=Westword|access-date=March 25, 2014|archive-date=August 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825232858/http://www.westword.com/news/the-south-park-anniversary-the-first-trey-parker-matt-stone-interview-5858114|url-status=dead}} Parker employed the cutout paper technique on Avenging Conscience's first production, Jesus vs. Frosty (1992), an animated short pitting the religious figure against Frosty the Snowman.

The quartet created a three-minute trailer for a fictional film titled Alferd Packer: The Musical. The idea was based on an obsession Parker had with Alferd Packer, a real nineteenth-century prospector accused of cannibalism. During this time, Parker had become engaged to long-time girlfriend Liane Adamo, but their relationship fell apart shortly before production on the trailer began. "Horribly depressed", Parker funneled his frustrations with her into the project, naming Packer's "beloved but disloyal" horse after her.{{cite news|url=http://splitsider.com/2011/03/cannibal-matt-stone-and-trey-parkers-original-twisted-musical/|title=Cannibal!: Matt Stone and Trey Parker's Original Twisted Musical|author=Joshua Kurp|date=March 29, 2011|work=Splitsider|publisher=The Awl|access-date=July 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119040500/http://splitsider.com/2011/03/cannibal-matt-stone-and-trey-parkers-original-twisted-musical/|archive-date=January 19, 2018|url-status=dead}} The trailer became something of a sensation among students at the school, leading Virgil Grillo, the chairman and founder of the university's film department, to convince the quartet to expand it to a feature-length film. Parker wrote the film's script, creating an Oklahoma!-style musical featuring ten original show tunes. The group raised $125,000 from family and friends and began shooting the film. The movie was shot on Loveland Pass as winter was ending, and the crew endured the freezing weather.{{cite book|last=Phillips|first=Glasgow|title=The Royal Nonesuch: Or, What Will I Do When I Grow Up?|year=2007|publisher=Grove Press|isbn=9781555847203|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gtY_7UdCLQ0C&q=%22Avenging+Conscience%22+Parker+Stone&pg=PA14|page=14|access-date=October 19, 2020|archive-date=February 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210085518/https://books.google.com/books?id=gtY_7UdCLQ0C&q=%22Avenging+Conscience%22+Parker+Stone&pg=PA14|url-status=live}} Parker, under the pseudonym Juan Schwartz, was the film's star, director and co-producer.

Alferd Packer: The Musical premiered in Boulder in October 1993; "they rented a limousine that circled to ferry every member of the cast and crew from the back side of the block to the red carpet at the theater's entrance." The group submitted the movie to the Sundance Film Festival, who did not respond. Parker said he had a "vision" they needed to be at the festival, which resulted in the group renting out a conference room in a nearby hotel and putting on their own screenings. MTV did a short news segment on The Big Picture regarding the film, and they made industry connections through the festival.{{cite news|url=http://nymag.com/arts/theater/features/south-park-2011-3/|title=Latter-Day Saints|author=Carl Swanson|date=March 7, 2011|work=New York|publisher=New York Media, LLC|access-date=July 1, 2014|archive-date=July 18, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718193204/http://nymag.com/arts/theater/features/south-park-2011-3/|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal |first=Steve |last=Pond |date=June 2000 |title=Interview: Trey Parker and Matt Stone |journal=Playboy |volume=47 |issue=6 |pages=65–80}} {{cite web|url=http://treyparker.info/archives_playboy_00jun00.htm |title=[ shpadoinkle ] Trey Parker |access-date=June 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727232806/http://treyparker.info/archives_playboy_00jun00.htm |archive-date=July 27, 2011 }} They intended to sell video rights to the film for $1 million and spend the remaining $900,000 to create another film. The film was instead sold to Troma Entertainment in 1996 where it was retitled Cannibal! The Musical, and upon the duo's later success, it became their biggest-selling title. It has since been labeled a "cult classic" and adapted into a stage play by community theater groups and even high schools nationwide.{{cite news|url=http://www.laweekly.com/publicspectacle/2012/02/09/cannibal-the-musical-in-a-high-school-get-the-splash-zone-ready|title=Cannibal! The Musical in a High School? Get the Splash Zone Ready|author=Carl Kozlowski|date=February 9, 2012|work=LA Weekly|publisher=Beth Sestanovich|access-date=July 1, 2014|archive-date=July 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714174551/http://www.laweekly.com/publicspectacle/2012/02/09/cannibal-the-musical-in-a-high-school-get-the-splash-zone-ready|url-status=live}}

Following the film's success, the group, without Hardin, moved to Los Angeles. Upon arrival, they met a lawyer for the William Morris Agency who connected them with producer Scott Rudin. As a result, the duo acquired a lawyer, an agent, and a script deal. Despite initially believing themselves to be on the verge of success, the duo struggled for several years. Stone slept on dirty laundry for upwards of a year because he could not afford to purchase a mattress. They unsuccessfully pitched a children's program titled Time Warped to Fox Kids, which would have involved fictionalized stories of people in history.{{cite news | url= http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-south-parks-trey-parker-171189 | title= Why South Park{{'}}s Trey Parker and Matt Stone Now Say It's 'Wrong' to Offend | date= March 24, 2011 | work= The Hollywood Reporter | access-date= May 19, 2011 | first= Stephen | last= Galloway | archive-date= November 5, 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111105012034/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-south-parks-trey-parker-171189 | url-status= live }} The trio created two separate pilots, spaced a year apart, and despite the approval of Fox Broadcasting Company development executive Pam Brady, the network disbanded the Fox Kids division.

David Zucker, who was a fan of Cannibal!, contacted the duo to produce a 15-minute short film for Seagram to show at a party for its acquisition of Universal Studios. Due to a misunderstanding, Parker and Stone improvised much of the film an hour before it was shot, creating it as a spoof of 1950s instructional videos. The result, Your Studio and You, features numerous celebrities, including Sylvester Stallone, Demi Moore, and Steven Spielberg. "You could probably make a feature film out of the experience of making that movie because it was just two dudes from college suddenly directing Steven Spielberg", Parker later remarked, noting that the experience was difficult for the two.{{cite news| url=http://treyparker.info/archives_zap2it_16jul01.htm| title='South Park' Creator Trey Parker Cops to Kooky Universal Spoof| date=July 16, 2001| publisher=Zap2it| access-date=July 2, 2014| first=Stephen| last=Galloway| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028085139/http://treyparker.info/archives_zap2it_16jul01.htm| archive-date=October 28, 2014}}

During the time between shooting the pilots for Time Warped, Parker penned the script for a film titled Orgazmo, which later entered production. Half of the budget for the picture came from a Japanese porn company called Kuki, who wanted to feature its performers in mainstream Western media. Independent distributor October Films purchased the rights to the film for one million dollars after its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film received an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, which resulted in the poor box office performance of the film. Parker and Stone attempted to negotiate with the organization on what to delete from the final print, but the MPAA would not give specific notes. The duo later theorized that the organization cared less because it was an independent distributor which would bring it significantly less money.

Fox executive Brian Graden cut Parker and Stone a personal check of a few thousand dollars to produce a video greeting card he could deliver to friends; the film would be a sequel to their earlier short Jesus vs. Frosty. Graden sent the film on a VHS to several industry executives in Hollywood; meanwhile, someone digitized the clip and put it up on the Internet, where it became one of the first viral videos.{{cite magazine|author=Jeffrey Ressner and James Collins|title=Gross And Grosser|magazine=Time|date=March 23, 1998|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988028-2,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102061843/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988028-2,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 2, 2010|access-date=April 28, 2009}} Due to the popularity of Jesus vs. Santa, Parker and Stone wanted to turn the short into a television series later entitled South Park, and offered the show to Fox. While Fox executives were enthusiastic about the premise, they didn't want to air a show that included the talking poo character Mr. Hankey and passed on it after the duo refused to remove the character several times. Parker and Stone then entered negotiations with both MTV and Comedy Central. Parker preferred the show be produced by Comedy Central, fearing that MTV would turn it into a kids' show.{{cite interview|url=http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?id=12881 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209001855/http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/about.aspx?id=12881 |archive-date=February 9, 2010 |title=Matt Stone, Trey Parker, Larry Divney 'Speaking Freely' transcript |access-date=February 8, 2007 |date=March 1, 2002 |subject=Trey Parker |subject2=Matt Stone |url-status=dead }} When Comedy Central executive Doug Herzog watched the short, he commissioned the development of the show into a series.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/27/business/media/27south.html?ex=1345867200&en=5e0dae11bad148ff&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all|title='South Park' Creators Win Ad Sharing in Deal|access-date=October 17, 2008|author=Halbfinger, David M.|date=August 27, 2007|work=The New York Times|archive-date=April 17, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417081514/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/27/business/media/27south.html?ex=1345867200&en=5e0dae11bad148ff&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all|url-status=live}}

The pilot episode of South Park was made on a budget of $300,000,{{Cite news |first=Kinney |last=Littlefield |title=South Park is a Far-out Place to Play |work=AAP Newsfeed |publisher=LexisNexis |date=February 1, 1998}} {{subscription required}} and took between three and three and a half months to complete, and animation took place in a small room at Celluloid Studios, in Denver, Colorado, during the summer of 1996.Back cover. {{Cite video |title=South Park – The Original Unaired Pilot |year=2003 |medium=DVD |publisher=Warner Home Video}} (Included with purchase of the following at Best Buy, USA: {{Cite video |title=South Park – The Complete Second Season |year=2003 |medium=DVD |publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}}) Similar to Parker and Stone's Christmas shorts, the original pilot was animated entirely with traditional cut paper stop motion animation techniques.{{Cite AV media | people = Parker, Trey; Stone, Matt | location = Audio commentary for "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" | title = South Park – The Complete First Season: Episode Commentary | year = 2002 | medium = CD | publisher = Comedy Central}} The idea for the town of South Park came from the real Colorado basin of the same name where, according to the creators, a lot of folklore and news reports originated about "cattle mutilations and UFO and bigfoot sightings".{{Cite news |title=A cartoon about kids that isn't for them |first=Gail |last=Pennington |date=August 13, 1997 |newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |location=St. Louis, Missouri |page=6E}}

South Park premiered in August 1997 and immediately became one of the most popular shows on cable television, averaging consistently between 3.5 and 5.5 million viewers.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PCI23BOylt4C|pages=11–19|title=Popular Culture and the Future of Politics: Cultural Studies and the Tao of South Park|first=Ted|last=Gournelos|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7391-3721-5|access-date=February 27, 2016|archive-date=January 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116225257/https://books.google.com/books?id=PCI23BOylt4C|url-status=live}} The show transformed the then-fledgling Comedy Central into "a cable industry power almost overnight".{{cite web |last=Leonard |first=Devin |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391792/index.htm |title=How Trey Parker and Matt Stone made South Park a success – October 30, 2006 |publisher=CNN |date=October 27, 2006 |access-date=July 7, 2013 |archive-date=November 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131107220939/https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391792/index.htm |url-status=live }} At the time, the cable network had a low distribution of just 21 million subscribers. Comedy Central marketed the show aggressively before its launch, billing it as "why they created the V-chip."{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKQEuKMFs7U|title=First South Park Commercial before series premiere, 1997|last=WhyTheHorseface|date=August 30, 2011|access-date=December 30, 2016|via=YouTube|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707104247/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKQEuKMFs7U|archive-date=July 7, 2017}}{{cbignore}} The resulting buzz led to the network earning an estimated $30 million in T-shirts sales alone before the first episode was even aired. Due to the success of the series' first six episodes, Comedy Central requested an additional seven; the series completed its first season in February 1998.{{Cite news |last=Mink |first=Eric |title=South Park comes up with a hallo-winner |date=October 29, 1998 |work=Daily News |location=New York, New York |page=89}}{{Cite news |title=Tonight on TV |date=October 29, 1997 |work=Newsday |location=New York, New York |page=B35}}{{cite video | people=Parker, Trey|date=2003|title=South Park: The Complete First Season: "Death"|location=Audio commentary |medium=CD|publisher=Comedy Central}} An affiliate of the MTV Network until then, Comedy Central decided, in part due to the success of South Park, to have its own independent sales department.{{cite news|title=Comedy Central will fly solo in '98|work=Multichannel News |author=Forkan, Jim|date=September 29, 1997|url=http://business.highbeam.com/4377/article-1G1-19948327/comedy-central-fly-solo-98|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714121147/http://business.highbeam.com/4377/article-1G1-19948327/comedy-central-fly-solo-98|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2014}} By the end of 1998, Comedy Central had sold more than $150 million worth of merchandise for the show, including T-shirts and dolls.{{Cite book |last1=McCabe |first1=Janet |last2=Akass|first2=Kim|title=Quality TV: Contemporary American Television and Beyond |url=https://archive.org/details/qualitytvcontemp00mcca |url-access=limited |year=2007 |publisher=I. B. Tauris |isbn=978-1-84511-511-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/qualitytvcontemp00mcca/page/n111 91]}} Over the next few years, Comedy Central's viewership spiked largely due to South Park, adding 3 million new subscribers in the first half of 1998 alone and allowed the network to sign international deals with networks in several countries.

Parker and Stone became celebrities as a result of the program's success; Parker noted that the success of South Park allowed him to pursue, for a time, a lifestyle that involved partying with women and "out-of-control binges" in Las Vegas. Their philosophy of taking every deal (which had surfaced as a result of their lack of trust in the early success of South Park) led to their appearances in films, albums, and outside script deals. Among these included BASEketball, a 1998 comedy film that became a critical and commercial flop.

File:Trey Parker Matt Stone 2007.jpg (left) and Matt Stone (right) do most of the writing, directing and voice acting on South Park.]]

Parker and Stone signed a deal with Comedy Central in April 1998 that contracted the duo to producing South Park episodes until 1999, gave them a slice of the lucrative spinoff merchandising the show generated within its first year, as well as an unspecified seven-figure cash bonus to bring the show to the big screen, in theaters.{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CO&s_site=charlotte&p_multi=CO&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB6D55F54B73880&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Sweet! Creators Sign to Do South Park Movie|author=The Charlotte Observer staff|date=May 2, 1998|newspaper=The Charlotte Observer|access-date=March 6, 2011|archive-date=October 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025010459/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CO&s_site=charlotte&p_multi=CO&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB6D55F54B73880&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|url-status=live}} During the time, the team was also busy writing the second and third seasons of the series, the former of which Parker and Stone later described as "disastrous". As such, they figured the phenomenon would be over soon, and they decided to write a personal, fully committed musical.{{cite news|url=http://collider.com/south-park-bigger-longer-uncut-blu-ray-review/9696/|title=South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut [Blu-ray] – Review|author=Andre Dellamorte|date=October 22, 2009|publisher=Collider.com|access-date=March 9, 2011|archive-date=February 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204220003/http://collider.com/south-park-bigger-longer-uncut-blu-ray-review/9696/|url-status=live}} Parker and Stone fought with the MPAA to keep the film R-rated; for months the ratings board insisted on the more prohibitive NC-17.{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00E11FB3A5E0C7A8EDDAF0894D1494D81|title=Loosening a Strict Film Rating for South Park|author=Bernard Weinraub|date=June 29, 1999|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=March 7, 2011}} The film was only certified an R rating two weeks prior to its release, following contentious conversations between Parker/Stone, Rudin, and Paramount Pictures.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/1999/07/09/putting-r-south-park|title=Putting the 'R' in South Park|author=David Hochman|date=July 9, 1999|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=March 8, 2011|archive-date=July 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714184108/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,272257,00.html|url-status=live}} Parker felt very overwhelmed and overworked during the production process of the film, especially between April and the movie's opening in late June. He admitted that press coverage, which proclaimed the end of South Park was near, bothered him. The film opened in cinemas in June 1999 and received critical acclaim while grossing $83 million at the box office.

Parker and Stone continue to write, direct, and voice most characters on South Park. Over time, the show has adopted a unique production process, in which an entire episode is written, animated and broadcast in one week.{{cite web|author=Jake Trapper and Dan Morris|title=Secrets of 'South Park'|work=ABC News|date=September 22, 2006|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Entertainment/Story?id=2479197&page=3|access-date=April 18, 2009|archive-date=May 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511114130/http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Entertainment/Story?id=2479197&page=3|url-status=live}} Parker and Stone state that subjecting themselves to a one-week deadline creates more spontaneity amongst themselves in the creative process, which they feel results in a funnier show. Although initial reviews for the show were negative in reference to its crass humor, the series has received numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy Awards, one Peabody Award, and numerous inclusions in various publications' lists of greatest television shows. As of 2011 its viewership was lower than at the height of its popularity in its earliest seasons, but South Park remained one of the highest-rated series on Comedy Central.{{cite web

|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/press/press_releases/2011/122011-2011-ratings-release.jhtml

|title=Comedy Central press release

|publisher=Comedy Central

|date=December 20, 2011

|access-date=March 19, 2013

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}} In 2012, South Park cut back from producing 14 episodes per year (seven in the spring and seven in the fall) to a single run of 10 episodes in the fall, to allow the duo to explore other projects the rest of the year.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/business/media/south-park-creators-fortify-their-content-empire.html?_r=1&|title=Fortifying the Empire 'South Park' Built|author=David Carr|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 27, 2013|access-date=July 1, 2014|archive-date=January 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128145550/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/business/media/south-park-creators-fortify-their-content-empire.html?_r=1&|url-status=live}} The show is currently renewed through 2022, when it will reach its twenty-sixth season.{{cite web|title="South Park" Renewed Through Historic 26th Season|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2019/09/12/south-park-renewed-through-historic-26th-season-391304/20190912comedycentral01/|work=The Futon Critic|date=September 12, 2019}}

South Park has expanded to music and video games. Comedy Central released various albums, including Chef Aid: The South Park Album and Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics, in the late 1990s.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/1999/01/08/psycho-music-and-inspired-motion-picture|title=Shower Hooks|date=January 8, 1999|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=July 24, 2009|last=Browne|first=David|archive-date=March 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305072222/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,273973,00.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/H/Hayes_Isaac/1998/11/27/745908.html|title="Chef" Hayes cooks crazy stew|work=jam! Showbiz: Music|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer|access-date=July 24, 2009|last=Nazareth|first=Errol|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120916043148/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/H/Hayes_Isaac/1998/11/27/745908.html|archive-date=September 16, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-12-23/music/various-artists/|title=Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics|date=December 23, 1999|work=Phoenix New Times|access-date=July 24, 2009|last=Moorhead|first=M.V.|archive-date=May 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511175421/http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/1999-12-23/music/various-artists/|url-status=dead}} The song "Chocolate Salty Balls" (as sung by the character Chef) was released as a single in the UK in 1998 to support the Chef Aid: The South Park Album and became a number one hit.{{cite web|url=http://www.theofficialcharts.com/stats-one-hit-wonders.php |title=One Hit Wonders |access-date=December 21, 2008 |publisher=The Official Charts Company |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221014845/http://www.theofficialcharts.com/stats-one-hit-wonders.php |archive-date=February 21, 2006 }} Parker and Stone had little to do with the development of video games based on the series that were released at this time,{{cite web|title=40 Questions |url=http://treyparker.info/archives_spstudios.htm |date=October 4, 2001 |publisher=South Park Studios |access-date=January 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101129004417/http://treyparker.info/archives_spstudios.htm |archive-date=November 29, 2010 }}{{Cite video|url=http://treyparker.info/video/playstation_18oct00.zip |title=PlayStation 2 Premiere |date=October 18, 2000 |access-date=September 4, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060226085646/http://treyparker.info/video/playstation_18oct00.zip |archive-date=February 26, 2006 }} {{YouTube|m6jrRQnqeGU|Video}}. but took full creative control of South Park: The Stick of Truth, a 2014 video game based on the series that received positive reviews and for which they won the 2014 Writing in a Comedy award and Stone (as Various) was nominated for Performance in a Comedy, Supporting by National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR).{{cite web|title=NAVGTR Awards (2014)|url=http://navgtr.org/archives/2445|publisher=National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers|access-date=January 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322064850/http://navgtr.org/archives/2445/|archive-date=March 22, 2017|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/31/south-park-the-stick-of-truth-delayed |title='South Park: The Stick of Truth Delayed |work=IGN |date=October 31, 2013 |access-date=December 30, 2013 |archive-date=December 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131229151525/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/31/south-park-the-stick-of-truth-delayed |url-status=live }} Broadcast syndication rights to South Park were sold in 2003,{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-03-2003/0002010600&EDATE=|title=Debmar Studios Acquires Broadcast Syndication Rights To Comedy Central's 'South Park'|publisher=Debmar Studios and Comedy Central|via=PR Newswire|access-date=May 27, 2009|archive-date=July 8, 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170708203507/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/debmar-studios-acquires-broadcast-syndication-rights-to-comedy-centralsr-south-park-71020497.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b47952_oh_my_god_south_park_syndicated.html|title=Oh My God! "South Park" Syndicated|date=July 30, 2004|publisher=E! News|access-date=May 27, 2009|last=Grossberg|first=Josh|archive-date=May 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511141729/http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b47952_oh_my_god_south_park_syndicated.html|url-status=live}} and all episodes are available for free full-length on-demand legal streaming on the official South Park Studios website.{{cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/news?id=3405 |title="South Park" Creators Trey Parker And Matt Stone And Comedy Central Launch The All-New Southparkstudios.com |access-date=October 19, 2008 |date=March 25, 2008 |publisher=South Park Studios |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080330155318/http://www.southparkstudios.com/news/?id=3405 |archive-date=March 30, 2008 }} (Link not accessible from outside the U.S..) In 2007, the duo, with the help of their lawyer, Kevin Morris, cut a 50–50 joint venture with Comedy Central on all revenue not related to television; this includes digital rights to South Park, as well as movies, soundtracks, T-shirts and other merchandise, in a deal worth $75 million.{{cite news |title='South Park' Creators to Start Company, Important Studios |first1=Andrew Ross |last1=Sorkin |first2=Amy |last2=Cozick |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 13, 2013 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/business/media/south-park-creators-to-start-company-important-studios.html |access-date=July 1, 2014 |archive-date=August 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825053111/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/business/media/south-park-creators-to-start-company-important-studios.html |url-status=live }}

In 2000, Parker and Stone began plotting a television sitcom starring the winner of the 2000 presidential election. The duo were "95 percent sure" that Democratic candidate Al Gore would win, and tentatively titled the show Everybody Loves Al (a play on the show Everybody Loves Raymond). The main goal was to parody sitcom tropes, such as a lovable main character, the sassy maid, and the wacky neighbor, in the context of the White House household.{{Cite video | people=Stone, Matt| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "A Poorly Executed Plan" |location=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}} Parker said the producers did not want to make fun of politics, but instead lampoon sitcoms.{{Cite video | people=Parker, Trey| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "A Poorly Executed Plan" |location=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}} They threw a party the night of the election with the writers, with intentions to begin writing the following Monday and shooting the show in January 2001 with the inauguration. With the confusion of whom the President would be, the show's production was pushed back. The show was filmed at Sony Pictures Studios, and was the first time Parker and Stone shot a show on a production lot.{{Cite video | people=Parker, Trey| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "Eenie Meenie Miney Murder" |location=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}}

Although That's My Bush!, which ran between April–May 2001, received a fair amount of publicity and critical notice, according to Stone and Parker, the cost per episode was too high at "about $1 million an episode".{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=20010803&id=yCUfAAAAIBAJ&pg=4871,422240|title=Comedy Central Cancels "That's my Bush"|author=Lynn Elber|publisher=AP Newswire|work=Spartanburg Herald-Journal|date=August 3, 2001|access-date=March 14, 2010|archive-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531054625/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=20010803&id=yCUfAAAAIBAJ&pg=4871,422240|url-status=live}} Comedy Central officially cancelled the series in August 2001 as a cost-cutting move; Stone was quoted as saying "A super-expensive show on a small cable network ... the economics of it were just not going to work."{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZwFHAAAAIBAJ&pg=5498,471464&hl=en|date=August 3, 2001|title=That's My Bush cancelled|publisher=AP Newswire|work=Sun Journal|access-date=March 14, 2010|archive-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531054259/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ZwFHAAAAIBAJ&pg=5498,471464&hl=en|url-status=live}} Comedy Central continued the show in reruns, considering it a creative and critical success. Parker believed the show would not have survived after the September 11 attacks anyway, and Stone agreed, saying the show would not "play well".{{Cite video | people=Parker, Trey| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "The First Lady's Persqueeter" |location=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}}{{Cite video | people=Stone, Matt| date=October 2006 |title=That's My Bush! The Definitive Collection: "The First Lady's Persqueeter" |location=Audio commentary |medium=DVD|publisher=Paramount Home Entertainment}} During this time, the duo also signed a deal with Shockwave.com to produce 39 animated online shorts, in which they would retain full artistic control; the result, Princess, was rejected after only two episodes.

In 2002, the duo began working on Team America: World Police, a satire of big-budget action films and their associated clichés and stereotypes, with particular humorous emphasis on the global implications of the politics of the United States.{{cite news|url=http://www.mania.com/south-park-creators-prepare-team-america_article_38988.html |title='South Park Creators Prepare Team America' |author=Patrick Sauriol |date=June 25, 2003 |publisher=Mania.com (source: Variety |access-date=June 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018120158/http://www.mania.com/south-park-creators-prepare-team-america_article_38988.html |archive-date=October 18, 2012 }} Team America was produced using a crew of about 200 people; sometimes four people at a time were needed to manipulate a marionette.{{cite news|url=http://treyparker.info/archives_latimes_18sep04.htm |title=Film Has South Park Guys at End Of Rope |date=September 18, 2004 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=June 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727233018/http://treyparker.info/archives_latimes_18sep04.htm |archive-date=July 27, 2011 }} Although the filmmakers hired three dozen highly skilled marionette operators, execution of some very simple acts by the marionettes proved to be very difficult, with a simple shot such as a character drinking taking a half-day to complete successfully. The deadline for the film's completion took a toll on both filmmakers, as did various difficulties in working with puppets, with Stone, who described the film as "the worst time of [his] life", resorting to coffee to work 20-hour days and sleeping pills to enable him to rest.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/dec/31/news|title=Stone says Team America was 'lowest point'|date=December 31, 2004|work=The Guardian|access-date=June 12, 2011|archive-date=July 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715094251/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/dec/31/news|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://treyparker.info/archives_infocus_04oct04.htm |title=Puppetry of the Meanest |date=October 4, 2004 |publisher=In Focus |access-date=June 12, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727232859/http://treyparker.info/archives_infocus_04oct04.htm |archive-date=July 27, 2011 }} The film was barely completed in time for its October release date,{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/team-america-sex-puppets-controversy|title=Team America: Sex, Puppets & Controversy|author=Roger Friedman|date=October 5, 2004|publisher=Fox News Channel|access-date=June 12, 2011|archive-date=October 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011024930/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134467,00.html|url-status=live}} but reviews were positive and the film made a modest sum at the box office.{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=teamamerica.htm|title=Team America: World Police (2004)|access-date=August 23, 2014|archive-date=November 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108130927/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=teamamerica.htm|url-status=live}}

Parker and Stone, alongside writer-composer Robert Lopez, began working on a musical centering on Mormonism during the production of Team America. Lopez, a fan of South Park and creator of the puppet musical Avenue Q, met with the duo after a performance of the musical, where they conceived the idea.{{Citation|last=Jones |first=Kenneth |title=Playbill{{'s}} brief encounter with Robert Lopez |newspaper=Playbill |date=April 4, 2011 |url=http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/149477-PLAYBILLCOMS-BRIEF-ENCOUNTER-With-Robert-Lopez |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511010339/http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/149477-PLAYBILLCOMS-BRIEF-ENCOUNTER-With-Robert-Lopez |archive-date=May 11, 2011 }} The musical, titled The Book of Mormon: The Musical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was worked on over a period of various years; working around their South Park schedule, they flew between New York City and Los Angeles often, first writing songs for the musical in 2006. Developmental workshops began in 2008,{{Citation |last= Adams |first= Guy |title= Mormons to get 'South Park' treatment |newspaper= The Independent |date= November 19, 2008 |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mormons-to-get-south-park-treatment-1024598.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mormons-to-get-south-park-treatment-1024598.html |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |location=London}} and the crew embarked on the first of a half-dozen workshops that would take place during the next four years. Originally, producer Scott Rudin planned to stage The Book of Mormon off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in summer 2010, but opted to premiere it directly on Broadway, "[s]ince the guys [Parker and Stone] work best when the stakes are highest."{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/theater/theaterspecial/the-path-of-the-book-of-mormon-to-broadway.html?pagewanted=1&ref=theater | work=The New York Times | first=Patrick | last=Healy | title=The Path of 'The Book of Mormon' to Broadway | date=May 13, 2011 | access-date=February 11, 2017 | archive-date=October 22, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022064859/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/15/theater/theaterspecial/the-path-of-the-book-of-mormon-to-broadway.html?pagewanted=1&ref=theater | url-status=live }}

File:Trey Parker and Matt Stone by Gage Skidmore.jpg

After a frantic series of rewrites, rehearsals, and previews, The Book of Mormon premiered on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on March 24, 2011.{{cite news|first = Peggy Fletcher|last = Stack|author-link = Peggy Fletcher Stack|url = http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/51314880-78/mormon-lds-book-mormons.html.csp|title = 'Book of Mormon' musical called surprisingly sweet|newspaper = The Salt Lake Tribune|date = February 25, 2011|access-date = August 23, 2014|archive-date = September 14, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140914161927/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/51314880-78/mormon-lds-book-mormons.html.csp|url-status = live}}[http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/THE_BOOK_OF_MORMON_to_Open_at_Eugene_ONeill_324_20010101 "'The Book Of Mormon' to Open at Eugene O'Neill 3/24; Previews 2/24"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009185609/http://broadwayworld.com/article/THE_BOOK_OF_MORMON_to_Open_at_Eugene_ONeill_324_20010101 |date=October 9, 2012 }}, broadwayworld.com, September 13, 2010 The Book of Mormon received broad critical praise for the plot, score, actors' performances, direction and choreography.{{cite web|url=http://broadwayworld.com/article/Broadway_Review_Roundup_THE_BOOK_OF_MORMON_20110324|title=Broadway Review Roundup: THE BOOK OF MORMON|date=March 25, 2011|publisher=BroadwayWorld.com|access-date=March 27, 2011|archive-date=October 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011044103/http://broadwayworld.com/article/Broadway_Review_Roundup_THE_BOOK_OF_MORMON_20110324|url-status=live}} A cast recording of the original Broadway production became the highest-charting Broadway cast album in over four decades.{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/470542/adele-reclaims-no-1-on-billboard-200-book-of-mormon-makes-history|title=Adele Reclaims No. 1 on Billboard 200, Book of Mormon Makes History|author=Keith Caulfield|magazine=Billboard|date=June 15, 2011|access-date=June 15, 2011|archive-date=May 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521011231/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/470542/adele-reclaims-no-1-on-billboard-200-book-of-mormon-makes-history|url-status=live}} The musical received nine Tony Awards, one for Best Musical, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The production has since expanded to two national tours, a Chicago production, and a UK production, and Parker and Stone have confirmed a film adaption is in pre-production.

On January 14, 2013, Stone and Parker announced that they would be starting a film production company called Important Studios. Inspired by the production work of Lucasfilm and DreamWorks, Stone and Parker considered founding the studio for approximately two years before committing. The initial financial assets of the studio are valued at $300 million, with the majority of the money originating from South Park and The Book of Mormon, while $60 million is from an investment from Joseph Ravitch of The Raine Group, giving him a 20 percent minority stock.{{cite web | last = Sorkin | first = Andrew Ross | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/business/media/south-park-creators-to-start-company-important-studios.html?pagewanted=1&_r=5& | title = 'South Park' Creators to Start Company, Important Studios | date = January 14, 2013 | newspaper = The New York Times | access-date = February 11, 2017 | archive-date = March 8, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210308140724/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/business/media/south-park-creators-to-start-company-important-studios.html?pagewanted=1&_r=5& | url-status = live }}

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Parker, Stone, and Peter Serafinowicz created a web series, Sassy Justice. The series uses deepfake technology to insert unrelated celebrities and politicians into the fictional world of a television reporter.{{Cite web |language=en-GB |date=October 27, 2020 |title=South Park Creators Launch New Deepfake Satire Series Sassy Justice |url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/tv/south-park-creators-launch-new-deepfake-satire-series-sassy-justice-2801209 |access-date=November 6, 2020 |work=NME |last=Skinner |first=Tom |archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107015522/https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/tv/south-park-creators-launch-new-deepfake-satire-series-sassy-justice-2801209 |url-status=live }} The first episode was posted to YouTube on October{{nbsp}}26, 2020.{{Cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/south-parks-trey-parker-and-matt-stone-deepfake-trump-f-1845511602 |last=Colburn |first=Randall |website=The A.V. Club |date=October 28, 2020 |access-date=October 28, 2020 |language=en-US |title=South Park{{'}}s Trey Parker and Matt Stone Deepfake Trump for New Web Series, Sassy Justice |archive-date=October 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031022854/https://news.avclub.com/south-parks-trey-parker-and-matt-stone-deepfake-trump-f-1845511602 |url-status=live }} The team was originally assembled for a film project that was interrupted due to the pandemic, who made the video based on a series of impressions that Serafinowicz developed of a "sassy" Donald Trump.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/arts/television/sassy-justice-south-park-deepfake.html |title=The South Park Guys Break Down Their Viral Deepfake Video |last=Itzkoff |first=David |date=October 29, 2020 |access-date=October 30, 2020 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030005038/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/29/arts/television/sassy-justice-south-park-deepfake.html |url-status=live }} The creators have a handful of shorter videos alongside a 15-minute first episode that may be turned into an ongoing series, film, or other type of project.

In August 2021, Stone and Parker signed a $900 million deal with Paramount Global to make six additional seasons of South Park and 14 movies in the South Park universe for streaming.{{Cite news|title='South Park' Co-Creator Matt Stone on his $900 Million Deal|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2021-08-08/-south-park-co-creator-matt-stone-on-his-900-million-deal|access-date=2021-08-09|newspaper=Bloomberg.com|date=August 8, 2021|archive-date=August 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809192933/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2021-08-08/-south-park-co-creator-matt-stone-on-his-900-million-deal|url-status=live}} In September 2021, Stone and Parker reached an agreement to purchase Casa Bonita for $3.1 million. A group named "Save Casa Bonita" filed an objection to Parker and Stone's purchase, pointing out that they had in fact made an offer first.{{cite web |last1=Cassady |first1=Carly |last2=Rose |first2=Alex |date=19 October 2021 |title='Save Casa Bonita' objects to sale of restaurant to South Park creators |work=FOX31 Denver |url=https://kdvr.com/news/local/save-casa-bonita-objects-to-sale-of-casa-bonita-to-south-park-creators/}} Their objection was later withdrawn, and the sale was completed by November 19.{{Cite web |last=McCormick-Cavanagh |first=Conor |date=2 November 2021 |title=Save Casa Bonita Withdraws Objection to Sale of Restaurant to South Park Creators |url=https://www.westword.com/news/casa-bonita-south-park-sale-bankruptcy-objection-withdrawn-12702259 |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=Westword |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Cook |first=Lanie Lee |date=2022-08-15 |title=Casa Bonita owners sue to keep some building plans secret |url=https://kdvr.com/news/local/casa-bonita-owners-sue-to-keep-building-plans-secret/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |work=KDVR Fox 31 News |language=en-US}}{{cite web|url=https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/11/04/casa-bonita-sale-trey-parker-matt-stone-south-park/|title=Casa Bonita Sale: Bankruptcy Judge Clears The Way For 'South Park' Creators Trey Parker And Matt Stone To Buy Iconic Restaurant – CBS Denver|date=4 November 2021 }} They spent $40 million renovating the restaurant and hired Chef Dana Rodriguez to update the menu.{{cite web|url=https://denver.cbslocal.com/2021/11/17/casa-bonita-dana-rodriguez-chef/|title=Casa Bonita Partners With Dana Rodriguez, Acclaimed Denver Chef & Restaurateur – CBS Denver|date=17 November 2021 }}{{Cite news |last1=Richtel |first1=Matt |last2=Williams |first2=David |date=2023-06-06 |title=The Refries That Bind: A Cavernous Cantina Returns, Cliff Divers and All |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/us/casa-bonita-restaurant.html |access-date=2023-06-11 |issn=0362-4331}} The restaurant had a soft opening on May 26, 2023.{{Cite web |title=CasaBonita/status/1662169731430744073 |url=https://twitter.com/CasaBonita/status/1662169731430744073 |access-date=2023-06-11 |website=Twitter |language=en}} In early June, Casa Bonita began taking reservations although a formal opening date had not been set.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-07 |title=Casa Bonita reopening: Trey Parker and Matt Stone tell New York Times they spent above $40 million on restoration |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/casa-bonita-reopening-trey-parker-matt-stone-new-york-times-spent-40-million-dollars-restoration-colorado/ |access-date=2023-06-09 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}} Stone and Parker amended the employee compensation system at Casa Bonita, removing the need for wait staff to earn tips, instead paying every employee $30 per hour, much higher than the Colorado minimum wage, $13.65.{{Cite web |last=Varanasi |first=Lakshmi |title=The creators of 'South Park' have eliminated tipping at Denver's famed Casa Bonita. Servers now make $30 an hour — and some are mad. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/south-park-creators-eliminate-tips-casa-bonita-pay-30-hour-2023-6 |access-date=2023-06-30 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}

In January 2022, it was announced Parker will produce an untitled film with Stone through their now-renamed production company Park County and Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free's multi-disciplinary media company PGLang.{{Cite web |title=Exclusive: Trey Parker to Direct Untitled Paramount Comedy From Producers Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free {{!}} Above the Line |date=March 22, 2023 |url=https://abovetheline.com/2023/03/22/trey-parker-directing-new-movie-kendrick-lamar-dave-free-matt-stone-paramount/ |access-date=2023-03-24 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Brathwaite |first=Lester Fabian |date=2022-01-12 |title=Kendrick Lamar is making a movie with the creators of 'South Park' |url=https://ew.com/movies/kendrick-lamar-south-park-creators-comedy-film/ |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=Entertainment |language=en |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101204608/https://ew.com/movies/kendrick-lamar-south-park-creators-comedy-film/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Rindner |first=Grant |date=2022-01-14 |title=Kendrick Lamar Is Making a Movie With the 'South Park' Creators and It Sounds Wild |url=https://www.gq.com/story/kendrick-lamar-pglang-matt-stone-trey-parker-new-comedy-film |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=GQ |language=en-US |archive-date=December 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211082544/https://www.gq.com/story/kendrick-lamar-pglang-matt-stone-trey-parker-new-comedy-film |url-status=live }} In March 2023, it was reported that Parker will direct the film.{{Cite web |last=Starkey |first=Adam |date=2023-03-24 |title='South Park' co-creator Trey Parker to direct live-action comedy collaboration with Kendrick Lamar |url=https://www.nme.com/news/film/south-park-creator-trey-parker-direct-live-action-comedy-collaboration-kendrick-lamar-3419866 |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |title=Exclusive: Trey Parker to Direct Untitled Paramount Comedy From Producers Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free {{!}} Above the Line |date=March 22, 2023 |url=https://abovetheline.com/2023/03/22/trey-parker-directing-new-movie-kendrick-lamar-dave-free-matt-stone-paramount/ |access-date=2023-04-24 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Nash |first=Anthony |date=2023-03-28 |title=Trey Parker to Direct Slave Reenactment Comedy from Kendrick Lamar |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1276754-trey-parker-to-direct-kendrick-lamar-slavery-comedy |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More |language=en-US}} It will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. The live-action comedy film, written by Vernon Chatman, addresses racial issues. Production was expected to begin in the spring of 2023.{{Cite web |last=Grobar |first=Matt |date=2022-01-13 |title=Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free & 'South Park' Duo Matt Stone And Trey Parker To Produce Comedy Penned By Vernon Chatman For Paramount |url=https://deadline.com/2022/01/kendrick-lamar-dave-free-matt-stone-trey-parker-to-produce-paramount-comedy-1234912409/ |access-date=2022-11-01 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=October 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010211927/https://deadline.com/2022/01/kendrick-lamar-dave-free-matt-stone-trey-parker-to-produce-paramount-comedy-1234912409/ |url-status=live }}

Stone met Comedy Central executive Angela Howard in 2001, and they began a relationship shortly after. They got married in 2008 and have two children together.{{cite news |last=Freeman |first=Hadley |date=January 4, 2013 |title=The Book Of Mormon: not for the easily offended |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/jan/04/book-of-mormon-stone-parker |url-status=live |access-date=August 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311212342/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/jan/04/book-of-mormon-stone-parker |archive-date=March 11, 2020 |quote=Stone has two children under three. ... .}}{{Cite web |last=Swanson |first=Carl |date=4 March 2011 |title=Will "The Book of Mormon" Be the Highest Artistic Achievement Yet for "South Park" Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone? |url=https://nymag.com/arts/theater/features/south-park-2011-3/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310201100/http://nymag.com/arts/theater/features/south-park-2011-3/index1.html |archive-date=March 10, 2011 |access-date=2023-04-22 |website=New York Magazine |language=en-us}} Stone and his family live in Venice, Los Angeles.{{Cite web |last=David |first=Mark |date=April 21, 2020 |title=Matt Stone Slashes Price of Venice Compound |url=https://www.dirt.com/showbiz/producers/matt-stone-venice-compound-1203318869/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815110035/https://www.dirt.com/showbiz/producers/matt-stone-venice-compound-1203318869/ |archive-date=August 15, 2020 |access-date=June 25, 2020 |website=Dirt}}

Stone has described himself as ethnically Jewish due to his mother being Jewish.{{cite news|url=http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/980522/kyle.shtml |title=Who is Kyle Broslofski? |access-date=January 3, 2009 |author=Raphael, Rebecca |newspaper=Jewish News of Greater Phoenix |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013210504/http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/980522/kyle.shtml |archive-date=October 13, 2008 }}{{Cite web|url=https://southpark.cc.com/fans/staffchats.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005154300/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/staffchats.php |archive-date=October 5, 2007 |title=Chat with Matt Stone (11/15/2005) |date=November 15, 2005 |publisher=South Park Studios |access-date=May 16, 2012 |url-status=dead }} He is an atheist.{{Cite web |last=Swanson |first=Carl |title=Trey Parker and Matt Stone Talk About Why The Book of Mormon Isn't Actually Offensive, and the Future of South Park |url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/03/trey_parker_and_matt_stone_tal.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411032418/http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/03/trey_parker_and_matt_stone_tal.html |archive-date=April 11, 2011 |access-date=2023-04-22 |website=Vulture |date=March 11, 2011 |language=en-us}}Nightline, ABC News, March 25, 2011, Quote: "I am an atheist, I live my life like I'm an atheist."

Stone said in 2001, regarding his political views, "I hate conservatives, but I really fucking hate liberals."{{cite news |last=Tierney |first=John |date=August 29, 2006 |title=South Park Refugees: Republicans can't count on the votes of "Team America" |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/opinion/29tierney.html |url-status=live |url-access=limited |access-date=November 9, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823132238/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/opinion/29tierney.html |archive-date=August 23, 2017}} When asked about that quote during a 2010 interview, Stone stated: "We don't want you to come to it thinking, 'These guys are going to bash liberals,' … It’s so much more fun for us to rip on liberals only because nobody else does it, and not because we think liberals are worse than Republicans."{{cite web |last=Hibberd |first=James |date=November 30, 2010 |title='South Park' duo: We're not conservative (or liberal) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/south-park-duo-conservative-liberal-53214/ |website=The Hollywood Reporter}} In 2006, Stone described himself as libertarian.{{cite magazine|last1=Gillespie|first1=Nick|last2=Walker|first2=Jesse|date=December 2006|title=South Park Libertarians|url=http://reason.com/archives/2006/12/05/south-park-libertarians/2|url-status=dead|magazine=Reason|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130032444/http://reason.com/archives/2006/12/05/south-park-libertarians/2|archive-date=2009-11-30|access-date=August 27, 2018}}

{{main|List of roles and awards of Matt Stone}}

• Cannibal! The Musical (1993)
• Orgazmo (1997)
• BASEketball (1998)
• South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
• Terror Firmer (1999)
• Bowling for Columbine (2002)
• Run Ronnie Run (2002)
• Team America: World Police (2004)
• The Aristocrats (2005)
• This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
• Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo (2007)
• Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010)

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091216030204/http://www.southparkstudios.com/fans/behind/creator.php Matt Stone and Trey Parker] at the [https://southpark.cc.com/ Official South Park Website]
• {{IMDb name|0001778}}
• {{IBDB name}}
• [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4109371 Fresh Air Interview]
• {{cite web|title=Mormon Composer Matt Stone Excited to Eat 'Shitty Awards Chicken' on Tony Night|url= https://www.broadway.com/buzz/156263/mormon-composer-matt-stone-excited-to-eat-shitty-awards-chicken-on-tony-night/|publisher=Broadway.com|date=May 3, 2011|access-date=May 3, 2011}}

{{Trey Parker and Matt Stone}}

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