NEW YORK -- It didn't take long for Trey Parker and Matt Stone to use Isaac Hayes' highly publicized exit from "South Park" as fodder for an episode.

Hayes, who voiced Chef for the Comedy Central show, abruptly quit "South Park" last week, saying he can no longer stomach the show's take on religion.

But since Parker and Stone write and produce their episodes at the last minute, last week's brouhaha is the basis for Wednesday night's show, which kicks off the series' 10th season.

Upon his exit from the show, Hayes acknowledged there's a place for satire, but said there's a time "when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry toward religious beliefs of others begins."

Hayes is a Scientologist. Last fall, the show poked fun at Scientology and its celebrity followers, including Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

In a Comedy Central press release, the new episode, titled "The Return of Chef!" finds the town jolted out of a case of the doldrums when Chef suddenly reappears.

"While Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are thrilled to have their old friend back, they notice that something about Chef seems different," according to the release. "When Chef's strange behavior starts getting him in trouble, the boys pull out all the stops to save him."

Stone hinted strongly last week that Hayes is being a hypocrite when he says he's leaving "South Park" because of the way it treats religions.

Stone said he feels Hayes' beef with the show stems only from the fact that the musician is a Scientologist and last year, the show began poking fun at his religion.

"This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology," Stone said. "He has no problem -- and he's cashed plenty of checks -- with our show making fun of Christians."