After 27 years, beloved puppeteer Steve Whitmire will step down from playing the voice of Kermit the Frog.
Tough Pigs first broke the news of the departure of the Muppets veteran, who began working with the puppet ensemble in 1978 and voicing Kermit and Ernie in 1990 after the death of their original voice actor and creator, Jim Henson. Kill Screen reports that Henson’s son, Brian, chose Matt Vogel to replace Whitmire, though no official reason has been given for the changing of the guard.
Vogel is no stranger to the Muppets universe, either. He’s served for decades as a puppeteer and voice actor for several different characters within the troupe, most notably Big Bird and Constantine, the dastardly Russian Kermit impersonator in the 2014 film, Muppets Most Wanted.
Many fans were predictably devastated by the news of Whitmire’s departure, taking to Twitter to express their disappointment and share their stories of meeting the master puppeteer.
Crushed by the news of #SteveWhitmire leaving #TheMuppets. Trying not to cry. 😢 I wish him the best & hope Disney gets it together already!
— Christine (@3rdshiftweirdo) July 10, 2017
I just wanted to briefly share my own story with #SteveWhitmire. He is as big a fan of the fans, as we are of him. This story shows that… pic.twitter.com/boleySVr6A
— The Muppet Mindset (@MuppetMindset) July 11, 2017
@KermitTheFrog is officially getting a voice change 😔. A big thanks #stevewhitmire for 27 years of greatness. Newbie has big shoes to fill! pic.twitter.com/3ARp0DMMbN
— IamMaebee⁷🥢 (@MaebeeIam) July 11, 2017
I had the pleasure of watching #SteveWhitmire perform with Dave Goelz. The two could communicate without saying a word. Wonderful to watch.
— Brian Jay Jones (@brianjayjones) July 10, 2017
Vogel will make his Kermit debut in a “Muppets Thought of the Week” video next week, according to the Hollywood Reporter. In the meantime, compare previous Kermit performances from Henson, Whitmire, and longtime understudy Artie Esposito in the compilation below.
H/T BBC News