JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
The Simpsons: Harry Shearer Reflects On Dr. Hibbert's Character Change As Kevin Richardson Takes Over: 'The Show Has Become Woke'
Harry Shearer reflects on his character change on The Simpsons, revealing the inspiration behind Dr. Hibbert's voice, as Kevin Michael Richardson takes over the role in Season 3.
Harry Shearer, known for voicing multiple characters on The Simpsons, recently experienced a change in his role as the voice of Dr. Hibbert.
In 2020, producers decided to stop having white actors voice characters of color. This led to Hank Azaria stepping down from voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
Harry Sheares opens up about the change of his voice character in The Simpsons
Reflecting on this change, Shearer shared his thoughts on The Times of London, explaining that “Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected, I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he was known as the ‘whitest Black man on television.’"
A Mighty Wind Actor said, "Then, a couple of years ago, I received an email saying they’d employed a Black actor, who then copied my voice. The result is a Black man imitating a white man imitating the whitest Black man on TV.”
Despite this change, Shearer continues to voice several other characters including Ned Flanders, Reverend Lovejoy, and Mr. Burns. He revealed that he initially hesitated to join The Simpsons in 1989 because typically voice actors receive scripts after animation is completed.
However, he was attracted to the role because it was different - he was given the script before animation. Shearer mentioned “I took the job because it was the other way around, I play more than 20 characters but the evil nuclear power plant owner, Mr. Burns, is a favorite. I styled his voice on Ronald Reagan.”
The Simpsons fans react to Mr. Burns' new voice in latest season
Fans of The Simpsons are surprised by the new voice of Mr. Burns in the latest season. Many wonder why his voice sounds different now. The show has been on for over 30 years, and the original voice actors are much older now. Harry Shearer, who also voices other characters, took over the role from Christopher Collins.
Shearer, now 80, still voices characters in the 35th season. However, a clip of Mr. Burns' new voice has upset many fans. They say it's very different from before and want the show to end peacefully.
Here's how fans reacted on X
Despite this, Shearer hasn't left the role, partly because he earns $300,000 per episode. The next episode of The Simpsons Episode 35 will air on May 20, 2024.
ALSO READ: The Simpsons: 5 interesting predictions about 2023 that featured on the sitcom
Latest Articles
