31 years after being introduced inThe Simpsonsepisode “Bart the Daredevil,” Dr. Julius Hibbert will finally be voiced by a Black performer, as veteran voice actorKevin Michael Richardsonwill take over the Black character from white actorHarry Shearer.
Shearer (pictured below) has voiced Dr. Hibbert from the beginning, and in recent years has pushed back against the need to recast the character with an actor of color, but he recently relented and has agreed to voice Hibbert for the final time in this Sunday’s episode “DiaryQueen” according toVulture, which broke the news.
The team behindThe Simpsonshas taken strides of late to diversify its voice cast, withHank Azariastepping down from the role of Apu, Springfield’s beloved convenience store owner, as well as Homer’s co-worker Carl Carlson, who is now voiced byAlex Désert. Meanwhile,Tress MacNeilleturned over the role of Kumiko Albertson, the wife of Comic Book Guy, toJenny Yokobori.
RELATED:‘The Simpsons’: White Actors Will No Longer Voice POC Characters (After Years of Ignoring Complaints)
Richardson will make his debut as Dr. Hibbert in the show’s Feb. 28 episode “Wad Goals,” a long overdue move that the show’s producers hinted at when they announced in June 2020 that “moving forward,The Simpsonswill no longer have white actors voice non-white characters.”
Richardson is hardly a stranger to theSimpsonsfamily, as he has worked on more than 70 of the show. He has also worked onF Is for Family,American DadandFamily Guy, the latter of which faced its own racial reckoning whenMike Henrystepped down from voicing the Black character of Cleveland Brown. There were also notable recastings on Netflix’sBig Mouthand Apple’sCentral Park, and frankly, it’s heartening to see the animation industry finally take action to become more inclusive, even if it has been a long time coming.
