Controversy gives Kermit a new voice

Kermit the Frog, an iconic character in the late Jim Henson’s stable of Muppets, will be voiced by a new actor as the character moves on.

The Muppets Studio announced last week that Matt Vogel would replace Steve Whitmire as the voice of the character, a character which has delighted children–and adults–for generations.

But both the studio and Whitmire differ on the reasons why he is no longer the voice of Kermit. He said that he had actually been fired last October, and he told the Hollywood Reporter that it had more to do with “adult” matters that Kermit would never get into with his fans than anything else.

Whitmire–who took over the vocal duties of the character after the death of Henson in 1990 and who had been affiliated with the Muppets since the late 1970s–claimed that his devotion to maintaining Henson’s legacy with the character, and a union disagreement, were the actual reasons he was let go.

“The first issue was that they felt I had been disrespectful in being outspoken on character issues with the small group of top creative people during the ABC series,” he told the publication, referring to the short-lived ABC series which tried, and failed, to make the Muppets a more adult commodity.

He continued, “I have been outspoken about what’s best for the Muppets since the Muppets came to Disney (in 2004), but the fact is I have respect for everyone who was involved in the creation of that series for their own particular contributions. At the same time, I also have insight into their limitations with respect to how well they know the Muppets.”

However, the Muppets studio countered that it was something other than Whitmire’s devotion to the character that got him fired.

A spokesman for the studio told Entertainment Weekly, “The role of Kermit the Frog is an iconic one that is beloved by fans and we take our responsibility to protect the integrity of that character very seriously. We raised concerns about Steve’s repeated unacceptable business conduct over a period of many years and he consistently failed to address the feedback. The decision to part ways was a difficult one which was made in consultation with the Henson family and has their full support.”

So the whole thing has become a he said/they said situation, and I doubt Kermit himself could explain this adequately to his younger audience.

But the only good thing to come out of this is that the entire kibosh has not been put on the character, and that a new voice actor will take over the role, probably without missing a beat with Kermit’s core audience–kids–who probably won’t know the difference.

The character is such a solid one–Kermit the Frog actually has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame–that it is doubtful that in the grand scheme of things, kids will really care who voices the character, as long as Kermit comes around again and again–a “Rainbow Connection” that will probably be here forever.