Why is Brooke Shields calling out 'South Park' creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone?

 It almost sounds like a plot from “South Park,” but Brooke Shields is criticizing the show’s creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 18: Brooke Shields attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations "You're Killing Me"" screening and conversation at SAG-AFTRA Foundation Robin Williams Center on May 18, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dominik Bindl/Getty Images)

But, why?

Parker and Stone bought Casa Bonita, a Mexican restaurant outside Denver, Colorado, which features more than cuisine. The establishment also offers a huge assortment of entertainment, including cliff divers who do jumps every 20 minutes.

The duo, who featured the restaurant in an episode of the show and have fond memories of it from their childhood, saved Casa Bonita from bankruptcy when they bought it in 2023.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 07: Trey Parker and Matt Stone attend the MTV Documentary Films + ¡CASA BONITA MI AMOR! World Premiere at The Indeed Theater at Spring Studios during 2024 Tribeca Festival on June 07, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images for Paramount+)

Shields is the president of the Actors’ Equity Association, a labor union representing “about 80” of the former employees at Mexican eatery Casa Bonita, who unionized in April 2024 against the venture, per a recent interview with CNN.

Those fighting against Casa Bonita had negotiations with the restaurant management, including Parker and Stone over “not just pay, but fundamental safety issues” - including “hypothermia and chlorine toxicity from the diving pool” and alleged groping from restaurant-goers - but they failed to reach an agreement.

“It doesn’t take long to feel how disparaging it is when you visit a place and you see young people excited to perform at the top of their game doing these crazy stunts, or entertaining people (and) you go personally see them not being cared for,” Shields told CNN.

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 30 : Casa Bonita's divers, magicians, roving actors and other unionized performers picket outside the pink palace, at 6715 W. Colfax Ave. in Lakewood, following unsuccessful efforts to bargain their first contract in Denver, Colorado on Thursday, October 30, 2025. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

According to the news outlet, the performer employees are asking for “a raise to bring them more in line with the servers, who they say make more.”

Actors’ Equity also said that while management have “made concessions at the bargaining table”, they have offered little “in return to improve current conditions and wages”.

Shields revealed that she had personally visited the restaurant in March, but “the place is so big it took a while for management to realize we were there”.

During her visit, she hand delivered a letter from the performers her organization represents, in which they “asked for better wages”.

Brooke Shields is calling out Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Casa Bonita restaurant. (Aurore Marechal/Getty Images/Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Paramount+)

But she acknowledged that it was a “slight ambush”, adding, “You try doing things respectfully, and then you’re not met with equal respect so you have to resort to other tactics.”

In a statement, Casa Bonita said the restaurant values “all of our team members and their well-being”, adding: “As a policy we do not comment on ongoing labor negotiations.”

However, the pair have “not attended one of the 14 bargaining sessions with Actors’ Equity”, Shields told CNN.