The Simpsons say they will cast the voices of their non-white characters.
20th Century Fox
The Simpsons will stop letting white actors speak non-white characters, the longtime animated series said on Friday.
“In the future, the Simpsons will no longer have white actors who do not speak white characters,” said an emailed statement.
The CNET sister site TV Guide pointed out that Kristen Bell will resign from her biracial character in Central Park after resigning, while Family Guy’s Cleveland Brown voice actor has also resigned from his role, saying: “People with color should have characters with them Play color. ” . “
The Family Guy series did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Currently at The Simpsons, the black characters Carl Carlson and Lou are voiced by Hank Azaria, who also speaks the South Asian character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon and the Japanese character Akira. However, Azaria said earlier this year that he would no longer speak Apu after a 2017 documentary criticized the racist stereotypes used to represent a South Asian character.
Dr. Julius Hibbert, a black character, is voiced by Harry Shearer, who is white. The South Asian character Manjula Nahasapeemapetilon was voiced by two different white actresses. The Japanese characters Kumiko Albertson and Cookie Kwan, as well as Cosine Tangent, characters of unspecified Asian descent, are all voiced by Tress MacNeille, who is white.
The move follows demands for better media representation in the midst of the current civil rights movement. Protests against Black Lives Matter continue in the US and around the world, as people demonstrate against the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks and other victims of police brutality and against systemic racism.
Black lives count. visit blacklivesmatter.carrd.co to learn how to donate, sign petitions and safely protest.