This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
June 27, 2020, marked a significant shift in the world of animated television as major announcements were made regarding the use of white actors to play characters of color on 'The Simpsons' and 'Family Guy'.
Mike Henry, a white voice actor, announced that he would no longer play the role of Cleveland Brown, a black character who has been a part of 'Family Guy' since its debut in 1999. Henry stated in a tweet, 'It's been an honor to play Cleveland on 'Family Guy' for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role.'
Separately, the producers of 'The Simpsons' announced that the show would make even broader changes, stating, 'Moving forward, 'The Simpsons' will no longer have white actors voice nonwhite characters.'
These announcements come amid a wider consideration of systemic racism in media and entertainment, following several police killings of black Americans. Earlier this week, actresses Jenny Slate and Kristen Bell, both white, said that they would stop playing biracial characters on animated shows. Slate wrote in a statement, 'I am engaging in an act of erasure of Black people by playing the role of Missy on Netflix's 'Big Mouth.'
Bell, who played the character Molly on the Apple TV Plus series 'Central Park,' wrote in her own statement, 'Casting a mixed-race character with a white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed-race and Black American experience.'
The Simpsons,' which made its series debut in 1989, had been increasingly criticized in recent years for its depiction of the character Apu, an Indian immigrant played by a white actor, Hank Azaria. Earlier this year, Azaria said he would no longer play Apu, having come to the understanding that the character perpetuated stereotypes that were hurtful to viewers of Indian descent.
