Matt Stone

Early life Matthew Richard Stone was born on May 26, 1971, in Houston, Texas, the son of Sheila Lois (née Belasco) and Gerald Whitney Stone Jr., an economist. He is of Irish-American heritage from his father's side and Jewish heritage from his mother's side. The South Park characters Gerald and Sheila Broflovski were named after them. Stone and his younger sister Rachel were raised in Littleton, Colorado, a Denver suburb, where they attended Heritage High School. He played drums, and early musical influences included Rush and The Police. He attended the University of Colorado Boulder. His father, fearing his son would "become a musician and a bum", insisted that he major in something "practical". Stone graduated with a double-major degree in mathematics and film in 1993. At CU, he met Trey Parker, and the pair bonded over anti-authoritarian ethos and love of Monty Python. They studied with the experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage, whom they cast in their first feature film.

Career Beginnings The Spirit of Christmas and Cannibal! The Musical (1992–1994) In 1992, Parker, Stone, Jason McHugh and Ian Hardin founded a production company, Avenging Conscience, named for a film which the group hated. Its first production was The Spirit of Christmas (1992, referred to as Jesus vs. Frosty), a short pitting the religious figure against Frosty the Snowman. Observing the showdown are four foulmouthed friends who would feature in their later work.

The quartet created a three-minute trailer for a fictional film, Alfred Packer: The Musical. Alfred Packer, the "Colorado Cannibal", was a prospector convicted for consuming his companions during a harsh winter (the CU cafeteria is named for him). Parker, under the alias Juan Schwartz, starred, directed and co-produced, creating an Oklahoma!-style musical with ten original show tunes. Filming locations included the Lake City, Colorado courthouse where Packer was tried. Stone and McHugh costarred, and Brakhage had a bit part. The film was sold to Troma Entertainment in 1996, where it was retitled Cannibal! The Musical, and upon the duo's later success, it became their best-selling title. It has become a cult classic and adapted as a stage play by community theater groups and even high schools nationwide.

Your Studio and You and Orgazmo (1995–1997) Following the succès de scandale''' of Cannibal!, the group, sans Hardin, moved to Los Angeles. The trio created two separate pilots, spaced a year apart, and despite the approval of executive Pam Brady, the network disbanded Fox Kids.

Between shooting the pilots for Time Warped, Parker penned Orgazmo, about a Mormon missionary moonlighting as a porn star. When it entered production, half of the budget came from Kuki, a Japanese porn company which wanted to feature its performers in mainstream Western media. Parker and Stone began talks of developing the short into a television series. Comedy Central's Doug Herzog said of the short “It literally was the funniest thing I’d ever seen. We said, ‘Develop a show.’”

South Park Premiere and initial success (1997–1998) Trey Parker (left) and Matt Stone (right) do most of the writing, directing and voice acting on South Park. The pilot episode of South Park was made on a budget of $300,000, 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 during the summer of 1996. Like Parker and Stone's Christmas shorts, the original pilot was animated entirely with cutout animation. The idea for the town of South Park came from the Colorado basin where a lot of folklore and news reports originated about "cattle mutilations and UFO and bigfoot sightings". The setting provided a home for the show's surreal, subversive humor. Starring are four foul-mothed friends, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick.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. The show transformed the then-fledgling Comedy Central into "a cable industry power almost overnight". At the time, the cable network had a low distribution of just 21 million subscribers. The resulting buzz led to the network earning an estimated $30 million in T-shirts sales alone before the first episode was even aired. 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. By the end of 1998, Comedy Central had sold more than $150 million worth of merchandise for the show, including T-shirts and dolls. 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. The song "Chocolate Salty Balls" (sung by Isaac Hayes's Chef) was released as a single in the UK in 1998 and became a number one hit. He directed many of the show's musical guests, like Hayes and Radiohead.

Bigger, Longer, and Uncut and continued success (1999–present) 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 theaters. 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, figuring the phenomenon would be over soon, they decided to write a personal, fully committed musical, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. The duo fought with the MPAA to keep the film R-rated; for months the ratings board insisted on the more prohibitive NC-17. The film was only certified an R rating two weeks prior to its release, following contentious conversations between Parker/Stone, Rudin and Paramount Pictures. The film opened in cinemas in June 1999, receiving critical acclaim and grossing $83 million at the box office. "Blame Canada", cowritten by Parker and Marc Shaiman, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The duo attended the ceremony in drag and on LSD.

Starting in the fifth season (specifically "Scott Tenorman Must Die"), Cartman has gone from spoiled brat to scheming sociopath. Also in that season, the sweet Leopold "Butters" Stotch became a de facto fifth main character. 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. 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. and numerous inclusions in various publications' lists of greatest television shows. . 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.

Parker and Stone had little to do with the early video games based on the series, but took full creative control of South Park: The Stick of Truth, a 2014 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). Broadcast syndication rights to South Park were sold in 2003, and all episodes are available for free full-length on-demand legal streaming on the official South Park Studios website. 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. The show's unique production was chronicled in Arthur Bradford's 6 Days to Air.

Television and film projects That's My Bush! (2000–2001) In 2000, Parker and Stone began plotting a sitcom centered on the winner of the 2000 presidential election. 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." Comedy Central continued the show in reruns, considering it a creative and critical success.

Team America (2002–2004) In 2002, the duo began work on Team America: World Police, a satire of big-budget action films and the war on terror. It was inspired by Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds: "We thought it would be cool if someone used the Thunderbirds kind of look but made the film fast-moving and funny. Then we realised that the only people stupid enough to do that would be us." The puppets were designed by The Chiodo Brothers. The 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. The film was barely completed in time for its October release date, and it made a modest sum at the box office. The duo battled with the MPAA over a love scene; finally, it was rated R for "graphic, crude, sexual humor; violent images and strong language–all involving puppets.”

Broadway and movie studio The Book of Mormon (2011–present) Parker and Stone went to see the puppet musical Avenue Q on Broadway, and found they were thanked in the Playbill. The musical, then The Book of Mormon: The Musical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was worked on over a period of eight 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. and the crew embarked on the first of a half-dozen workshops that would take place during the next four years.

After a frantic series of rewrites, rehearsals and previews, The Book of Mormon follows a pair of mismatched Mormon missionaries (Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells) who are dispatched to a war-torn, AIDS-plagued village in Uganda. It received broad critical praise for the plot, score, performances, direction and choreography. The cast album became the highest-charting Broadway cast album in over four decades. The musical received nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The national tour kicked off at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. It has expanded to include productions in Chicago and London. Parker and Stone have confirmed a film adaption is in pre-production. The first episode was posted to YouTube on October26, 2020. 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. 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. After the HBO Max streaming rights expired in late June 2025, on July 21, 2025, Stone and Parker announced a five-year agreement with Paramount+ to stream the series exclusively and to have 10 episodes produced per year. After signing the deal with Paramount, Stone and Parker became billionaires.

In conversation with Colorado governor Jared Polis, Parker and Stone announced that they had bought Casa Bonita. Their objection was later withdrawn, and the sale was completed by November 19. They spent $40 million renovating the restaurant and hired Chef Dana Rodriguez to update the menu. The restaurant had a soft opening on May 26, 2023. In early June, Casa Bonita began taking reservations although a formal opening date had not been set. 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. The duo's endeavors were chronicled in Arthur Bradford's iCasa Bonita Mi Amor!. The film will mark the first theatrical collaboration, and second overall, between Parker, Stone, Lamar, and Free. Parker and Stone developed the deepfakes used in the music video for Lamar's promotional single "The Heart Part 5" (2022) through their artificial intelligence startup studio Deep Voodoo. In March 2023, it was reported that Parker will direct the film. It will be distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Casa Bonita controversy On October 30, 2025, 57 performers at Stone and Parker's Casa Bonita went on strike for at least three days after alleging that Parker and Stone paid them unfair wages and subjected them to a less safe working environment. Actors' Equity Association president Brooke Shields criticized Stone and Parker as well,

Personal life Stone met Comedy Central executive Angela Howard in 2001, and they began a relationship shortly after.

Stone has described himself as ethnically Jewish due to his mother being Jewish. He is an atheist. He dislikes New Atheism, arguing that its adherents "have set atheism back a few decades. And I’m a self-described atheist.” Stone says he and Parker are "atheists who don't hate religion, who are fascinated by it and kind of admire it." He describes The Book of Mormon as "an atheist's love letter to religion". He explains "There's a catharsis in being able to really laugh at some of the goofier ideas of religion without necessarily laughing at the people practicing them. We never like to make a 'point,' per se. We want to give you room to feel what the show is saying to you. We don’t want to tell anybody what the point is, or what the politics are. It’s up to you to figure out what it meant." He calls the Mormon Church's response to the musical "a big-hearted, American, First Amendment-loving reaction."

A. J. Jacobs writes that "On South Park, they’ve mocked Big Government (smoking bans, the drug war) and remain free-speech diehards." 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." In 2006, Stone described himself as libertarian. Parker and Stone have consistently defended free speech. "Cartoon Wars Part I" and "Cartoon Wars Part II" address the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, with Kyle arguing that the First Amendment right of freedom of speech protects the right to offend: “Either it’s all okay, or none of it is.”

He was interviewed in Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine. Moore cuts from the interview to a South Park-style short, which Parker and Stone were not involved with. They were not amused, as evidenced by their depiction of Moore in Team America. Stone explained: "he didn't misrepresent me in the film at all. But what he did that really pissed Trey off, and kind of pissed me off too, was put a little animation right after our interview. Tons of people have come up to us and said: 'Oh I love that animation you guys did in Bowling For Columbine'. It's very South Park-esque but we didn't do it. ... It was a good lesson in what Michael Moore does in films. He doesn't necessarily say explicitly this is what it is, but he creates meaning where there is none by cutting things together. But I don't really hate the guy." He appears in Kirby Dick's This Film is Not Yet Rated, a critique of the MPAA, arguing that the board is harder on independent films than studio productions, and more lenient on violence than sex.

He speaks of how Colorado shaped his politics: "look at the way Colorado's gone politically in the last few elections, it's now gay-friendly, weed-friendly, gun-friendly. There's an element of Colorado that I think is in us." In conversation with Colorado governor Jared Polis, Parker and Stone are asked about how to combat ManBearPig. “He hates carbon taxes” Stone said.

In 2026, Bill Hader inducted Parker and Stone into the Television Hall of Fame. He is a fan of the band Rush, and appears in Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. He played drums with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson at the South Park Anniversary Concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Discography Albums Soundtrack albums + List of soundtrack albums, with selected chart positions Title Details Peak chart positions US Can Chef Aid: The South Park Album Release date: November 24, 1998 Label: Columbia Records Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download 16 14 South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Release date: June 15, 1999 Label: Atlantic Records Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download 28 20 Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics Release date: November 23, 1999 Label: Sony Music Entertainment Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download — — Team America: World Police Release date: October 19, 2004 Label: Atlantic Records Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download — — "—" denotes releases that did not chart

Cast recording + List of cast recording albums, with selected chart positions Title Details Peak chart positions US The Book of Mormon: Original Broadway Cast Recording Release date: May 17, 2011 Label: Ghostlight Records Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download 3 "—" denotes releases that did not chart

Filmography and accolades

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)