And I’d say, 'Can we do this? What’s up? Mike Henry will no longer voice Family Guy character Cleveland Brown, becoming the latest white actor to step away from playing a character of color on an animated series. But 'Missy' is also Black, and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people," Slate wrote on Instagram. Stepping into Cleveland… He is known for his work on the animated TV series Family Guy (1999–present), where he writes and produces episodes along with voicing Cleveland Brown, Herbert, Bruce, and Consuela, among … Fox has found the new voice of “Family Guy’s” Cleveland Brown. | Henry, 54, announced his departure on his social media accounts on Friday, saying in a statement, "It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. Mike Henry was the original voice actor for the character of Cleveland Brown, joining the cast of Family Guy all the way back when it premiered in 1999. ", Fox News' Nate Day and The Associated Press contributed to this report. “I love this character, but persons of … get rick rolled. “I love this character, but persons of … Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now? Fox’s “Family Guy” said Friday that YouTube star Arif Zahir will be the new voice of one of its most beloved characters, Cleveland Brown. There's a new "Family Guy" voice actor who can say, "My name is Cleveland Brown." Edson Matus. ", KRISTEN BELL WILL NO LONGER VOICE BIRACIAL CHARACTER IN APPLE TV+ SHOW 'CENTRAL PARK'. Mike Henry will no longer voice Family Guy character Cleveland Brown, becoming the latest white actor to step away from playing a character of color on an animated series. "People are usually surprised," he explained of peoples' reactions at the time. Cleveland Orenthal Brown, Sr. is a supporting character on Family Guy, and central character in the spin-off series, The Cleveland Show, which reduced him to a guest character on Family Guy until he returned. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. I am happy to relinquish this role to someone who can give a much more accurate portrayal and I will commit to learning, growing and doing my part for equality and inclusion.". Mike Henry, 54, announced his resignation after voicing the character on Family Guy and its spinoff, the Cleveland Show since 1999. "We sincerely apologize for and regret our original decision to cast a White actor to voice a biracial character. Earlier this week, Big Mouth's Jenny Slate and Central Park's Kristen Bell announced that they are leaving their roles on the shows, which will both be recast with a Black or mixed race actor. "It was wrong and we, on the Central Park team, are pledging to make it right. Twitter. Henry has provided the voice of the beloved character since the Fox animated series' debut in 1999. He has also been the voice behind a Latina maid named Consuela on the series. Slate, 38, revealed the news on Wednesday, explaining that she, a white woman, "can no longer" play the role of Missy, a biracial character on the animated Netflix series created by Nick Kroll. If you would like to opt out of browser push notifications, please refer to the following instructions specific to your device and browser: this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. A spokesperson for Fox did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. "Ending my portrayal of 'Missy' is one step in a life-long process of uncovering the racism in my actions," Slate continued. "Kristen Bell is an extraordinary talented actress who joined the cast of Central Park from nearly the first day of the show's development — before there was even a character for her to play — and she has since delivered a funny, heartfelt, and beautiful performance," the statement began. ‘Family Guy’s Cleveland Brown to be voiced by YouTube star Arif Zahir Mike Henry, who created Cleveland Brown, has voiced the … Bell also shared the statement online, adding one of her own. FAMILY Guy producers have cast YouTuber Arif Zahir as the new voice of Cleveland Brown after the original voice actor quit. TV Show: Family Guy Franchise: Family Guy. Arif Zahir is getting ready for his closeup on "Family Guy." (Fox via AP), “I acknowledge how my original reasoning was flawed,” Slate said. 1, Mark Consuelos returns home to Kelly Ripa after four-month work commitment. Popular YouTuber Named Azzerz, is the New Voice of Cleveland Brown of Family Guy. Family Guy star Mike Henry (Cleveland Brown's voice actor) will no longer be playing the role. “Family Guy” has announced its replacement casting for Cleveland Brown. Cleveland Brown VOICE. Until "The Cleveland … You guys do this and tell me what I can do. "And on 'The Cleveland Show' if there was a joke I wasn’t sure about, I would defer to Sanaa [Lathan] or some of the other writers in the room who walk the walk and live the life because I don’t. Michael Robert Henry (born November 7, 1965) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, director, writer and producer. Despite the amicable parting on Family Guy, The "Pilot" of The Cleveland Show showed Loretta as being spiteful towards Cleveland … Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. The actress went on to say that her original reasoning was "flawed," explaining "it existed as an example of societal white supremacy, and that in me playing 'Missy,' I was engaging in an act of erasure of Black people.". Credit: Pinterest. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Family Guy voice actor Mike Henry is stepping down from his role as Cleveland Brown. RELATED: Family Guy's Mike Henry Says He'll No Longer Voice Cleveland Brown Character It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. Get push notifications with news, features and more. "I have come to the decision today that I can no longer play the character of 'Missy' on the animated TV show Big Mouth. Mike Henry, 54, announced his resignation after voicing the chara… FOX had no comment when reached by Fox News. RELATED: Family Guy Pays Tribute to Carrie Fisher's Character Angela 2 Years After Actress' Death. The character was written out of Family Guy largely at the behest of Alex Borstein, who complained the deep gravelly female voice of Loretta was too demanding of her voice.. The YouTube star, 26, was hired in late September to replace Mike Henry as the voice of Cleveland Brown on the animated series. But now, she understands that her initial thoughts were wrong. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. "This is a time to acknowledge our acts of complicity. He is the token black guy in the neighborhood and a sort of novelty in Quahog which is exemplified in his trip to Barrington Country Club in "Fore Father". Writers named the character Cleveland Brown in reference to the similarly named football team, although his last name was not revealed until after Family Guy returned from cancellation in 2005. Voiced most times by Mike Henry. “It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years,” he announced on Twitter Friday. "I mean, sometimes now with the climate out there of everything is very PC [politically correct], all I can say to that is I know where I’m coming from.". Find out what your cat is trying to tell you with a new cat app, Princess Diana died when Harry was just 12 years old, Engineer Creates App To Translate Your Cat, The Sweetest Photos of Princes Harry with Diana, Sean Connery's Cause of Death Revealed Weeks After He Dies at Age 90. From creating a person. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. "This is a time to acknowledge our acts of complicity. All rights reserved. Fox; Mike Coppola/Getty Images. Wendell Pierce is campaigning to be the new voice of Family Guy’s Cleveland Brown.. Inset: Apple TV Plus, Netflix. Legal Statement. Family Guy voice actor Mike Henry, who is white, announced that he will no longer voice Cleveland Brown, an African-American character, on Family Guy or The Cleveland Show. Fox’s “Family Guy” said Friday that YouTube star Arif Zahir will be the new voice of one of its most beloved characters, Cleveland Brown. Comments Add a Comment. THE FAMILY Guy voice actor who plays Cleveland Brown and Consuela has stepped down after 20 years to make way for a minority actor. YouTube comedian Arif Zahir has been announced as the new voice of Family Guy 's Cleveland Brown, taking over the role from Mike Henry. Slate said she initially reasoned that she could play her character because Molly’s mother is Jewish and white, just like her mom. "The Good Place" star went on to explain that she's "happy to relinquish the role" and pledging to "commit to learning, growing and doing my part for equality and inclusion. Casting a mixed-race character w/a [sic] white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed-race & Black American experience," she said. The comedian — who also voices Consuela the maid, among many minor characters — served as co-creator and lead star on Family Guy's spinoff The Cleveland Show from 2009 to 2013. However, Henry was among the white voice-actors who stepped down from playing African-American characters this past summer so performers of color could take on the roles. Facebook. To help combat systemic racism, consider learning from or donating to these organizations: Text us for exclusive photos and videos, royal news, and way more. Images of the Cleveland Brown voice actors from the Family Guy franchise. ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection Voiced most times by Mike Henry. RELATED: TV Shows and Movies You Can Stream to Learn More About Racial Justice and Police Brutality. The network confirmed the decision in a statement to PEOPLE, saying, "Moving forward, The Simpsons will no longer have white actors voice non-white actors.". In this image released by Fox, animated characters, from left, Peter Griffin, Glenn Quagmire, both voiced by Seth MacFarlane, Cleveland Brown, voiced by Mike Henry and Joe Swanson, voiced by Patrick Warburton from the series 'Family Guy.' This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. “It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years,” he announced on Twitter Friday. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Arif Zahir will take over the role. While Slate admitted that she "can't change the past" in regards to "mistakes" she's made when it comes to her career in comedy, she can "take accountability" for her choices. In this video we have Azerrz back with another hilarious voice trolling video for us on call of duty. Bell, who starred with Gad on Disney's Frozen, also addressed her decision to step down from the role in her caption. Images of the Cleveland Brown voice actors from the Family Guy franchise. ", "You know, Cleveland is largely some weird part of me and I’ve been able to do it for [almost] 20 years now, and I think what you’re getting at is, 'Does anyone get upset about it?' Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Also on Wednesday, Bell and Josh Gad announced in a statement shared to their respective Instagram accounts that the actress will no longer be playing the role of Molly Tillerman, who is mixed race, on his Apple TV+ series Central Park. Mike Henry. He is the token black guy in the neighborhood and a sort of novelty in Quahog which is exemplified in his trip to Barrington Country Club in "Fore Father". Here is one of mine. RELATED: Why Hank Azaria Quit Voicing Controversial Simpsons Character Apu: 'It Just Didn't Feel Right'. We made a mistake, took our privilege for granted, and we're working hard to do better moving forward," he continued. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. I’m coming from a good place and I hope people aren’t upset,'" he said at the time. Incarnations View all 6 versions of Cleveland Brown on BTVA. ‘Family Guy’s Cleveland Brown to be voiced by YouTube star Arif Zahir Mike Henry, who created Cleveland Brown, has voiced the … "It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years," Henry, 54, wrote on Twitter. The decision comes nearly three months after Mike Henry, 54, announced his resignation in the wake of George Floyd's death, saying an actor of color should play the character. In June, voice actor Mike Henry announced he was stepping down from the role of Cleveland Brown… During the show's four-season run, Henry provided the voice of Cleveland's stepson, Rallo Tubbs, in addition to the titular character. Henry, who is a white man, has voiced the character since the series debuted in 1999. Market data provided by Factset. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role.". Furthering this connection, a commercial aired during Super Bowl XLV that showed many TV characters wearing NFL jerseys, with everyone in Quahog wearing New England Patriotsjerseys except Cleveland, who is wearing a … The comedian — who also voices Consuela the maid, among many minor characters — served as co-creator and lead star on Family Guy's spinoff The Cleveland Show from 2009 to 2013. ©2020 FOX News Network, LLC. Cleveland Orenthal Brown, Sr. is a supporting character on Family Guy, and central character in the spin-off series, The Cleveland Show, which reduced him to a guest character on Family Guy until he returned. Juan Amador Pulido. Here's 1 of mine. The Simpsons adds to the list of animated series that have decided to step away from casting white actors in roles of color. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Rarely," Henry said in 2018. ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection What's going on? Alex Borstein, who voices Lois Griffin, told Fox News at the time: "I just feel like you can feel when something is done from a place of love. or redistributed. Henry's exit comes hot on the heels of news that another one of Fox's staple animated series, The Simpsons, will no longer cast white actors to voice characters of color. Arif Zahir, known for his impressions of Cleveland Brown from "Family Guy," has gone from mimicking the character to actually playing him. At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play 'Missy' because her mom is Jewish and White — as am I. He continued: "I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Slate, 38, played the mixed-race Missy on Netflix’s “Big Mouth” and Bell, 39, voiced a biracial character named Molly on Apple TV Plus's “Central Park.”, ACTRESS JENNY SLATE WITHDRAWS FROM VOICING BIRACIAL CHARACTER ON NETFLIX'S 'BIG MOUTH'. Arif Zahir has been cast as the new voice of Cleveland Brown on Fox's Family Guy following Mike Henry stepping down from the … Like, he’s not doing a voice -- I feel like he’s making Cleveland. Character Retirement. Earlier on Friday, the network revealed that it will no longer have white actors voice characters of color on "The Simpsons. (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, File), In 2018 at Comic-Con, Henry spoke to Fox News about voicing Cleveland. Playing the character of Molly on Central Park shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege. Kroll, 42, also announced Slate's decision on Twitter, writing: "After thoughtful discussion with us and our Black collaborators, Jenny Slate has decided, and we wholeheartedly agree, that Missy on Big Mouth should be voiced by a Black actor.". 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