Brooke Shields Takes on ‘South Park’ Creators in Fight for Restaurant Workers
Brooke Shields is representing workers at Trey Parker and Matt Stone‘s Mexican restaurant who claim the Colorado venue is riddled with safety concerns amid poor wages.
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“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, 61, told CNN in a report published on Sunday, July 5.
The actress leads a labor union called Actors’ Equity that is currently representing “about 80” of Casa Bonita’s performers who unionized in April 2024 against the South Park creators’ venture, per the outlet.
Us Weekly has reached out to Casa Bonita as well as representatives for Parker, Stone and Shields.
The report also stated that Shields has gone public with Actors’ Equity’s claims after negotiations with restaurant management, including Parker, 56, and Stone, 55, over “not just pay, but fundamental safety issues” haven’t gotten anywhere.
Casa Bonita, located in Lakewood, is renowned for its entertainment, which runs alongside meals from breakfast to dinner. The venue, which was represented during a South Park season 7 episode in 2003, features a 30-foot waterfall, caves and puppet shows that demand artistic performers to partake in shows and stunts including cliff diving and costumed interactions.
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She added that her visit saw her hand-deliver a letter “asking for better wages” for the performers her organization represents. “It was slightly an ambush … you try doing things respectfully, and then you’re not met with equal respect … so you have to resort to other tactics,” Shields told the outlet.
Casa Bonita shared a statement with the outlet in light of its reporting, writing that the restaurant values “all of our team members and their well-being.”
The statement continued, “As a policy we do not comment on ongoing labor negotiations.”
Parker and Stone, who both grew up in Denver, were longtime fans of the hospitality establishment before they purchased it five years ago. Per Shields via CNN, the pair “have frequented the restaurant recently but have not attended one of the 14 bargaining sessions with Actors’ Equity.”
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This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 9:20 PM.
