“Dad! Tom Cruise won’t come out of the closet!”
"Closet" has become legendary for its scathing parody of both Tom Cruise and Scientology. Believing that Stan is the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, Scientologists — and their poster boy, Cruise — invade South Park. However, the meeting does not go as planned when Stan informs Cruise that he prefers Leonardo DiCaprio or the guy from "Napoleon Dynamite." This devastating revelation sends Cruise into the boy’s closet, where he remains for the rest of the episode. Entreaties for him to come out of the closet from Nicole Kidman, John Travolta, and Katie Holmes fall on deaf ears.
Meanwhile, after learning the true story of Scientology (the first time ever depicted on television), Stan rejects his newfound faith and his status as its reincarnated leader. One of the best moments of this episode happens after it ends. As a reference to the lawsuit Scientology was threatening against the show and Comedy Central at the time, during the episode’s end credits, the names of cast and crew were changed to John and Jane Smith.
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