It’s not easy being green. Earlier this month, Muppet fans got some surprising news when actor Steve Whitmire—who has voiced Kermit the Frog for 27 years, ever since Muppets creator Jim Henson died—was replaced by Matt Vogel. Whitmire has been with the Muppets since 1976’s Muppet Show, and as news has unfolded about his exit, it’s become clear that the actor did not choose to leave—he was fired. The actor and Muppets Studio have since shared their versions of the story, with Whitmire saying the decision came as a shock and the studio saying that it had repeatedly raised concerns about the actor’s “unacceptable business conduct.” Now, Jim Henson’s children are speaking out in support of the actor’s dismissal as well.
Soon after the recast became public, Whitmire detailed his emotions in a blog post, writing that he was “devastated to have failed in my duty to my hero.” The actor said he had offered multiple remedies to two complaints Muppets Studio cited when informing him over the phone that he was being let go. “I wish,” Whitmire wrote, “that we could have sat down, looked each other in the eye, and discussed what was on their minds before they took such a drastic action.”
“I have remained silent the last nine months in hopes that the Disney company might reverse their course,” Whitmire continued. “Doing what is best for the Muppets is the lens through which all my interactions have been filtered. Given the opportunity I remain willing to do whatever is required to remedy their concerns because I feel my continued involvement with the characters is in the best interest of the Muppets.”
Later on, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Whitmire detailed exactly what those two alleged complaints were: his behavior while making The Muppets on ABC and a union disagreement. According to the actor, the studio felt he had been “disrespectful” while filming the sitcom, which ran for a single season between 2015 and 2016.
Meanwhile, the studio issued a statement of its own, noting that Kermit the Frog is an iconic character—and that as such, “we take our responsibility to protect the integrity of that character very seriously.” It also questioned Whitmire’s behavior: “We raised concerns about Steve’s repeated unacceptable business conduct over a period of many years and he consistently failed to address the feedback. The decision to part ways was a difficult one which was made in consultation with the Henson family and has their full support.”
And since then, both Cheryl Henson and Brian Henson have, indeed, come out in support of the decision. As Cheryl put it in a Facebook post, “Steve’s version of history is ridiculously self serving.” According to Cheryl, it was her brother who asked Whitmire to play Kermit—not their father, as Whitmire has claimed. As Cheryl sees it, “Steve’s performance of Kermit has strayed far away from my father’s good hearted, compassionate leader of the Muppets. Steve performed Kermit as a bitter, angry, depressed, victim. Worst of all, in the past few years he had not been funny or fun. Recasting Kermit is long over due.” Brian Henson told The Hollywood Reporter that Whitmire “often played brinksmanship,” making “outrageous demands” on the basis that he was Kermit, and therefore the center of the Muppets.
“Kermit has, as a character, flattened out over time and has become too square and not as vital as it should have been,” Henson told T.H.R. “Again, what my dad brought to it—without even thinking because he was accessing his own character that was coming out of his own personality—was a wry intelligence, a little bit of a naughtiness, but Kermit always loved everyone around and also loved a good prank.”
Brian believes Whitmire’s performance diminished the character—but he’s confident that Whitmire’s replacement, Matt Vogel, can bring those nuances back. “I think the fans should not be so scared of change,” Henson said. “Steve did Kermit for a very long time—I would say for far too long. And the character was no longer being serviced by Steve performing Kermit.”
Whitmire appears to have responded to the interview with Brian Henson in his latest blog post, which recounts a previous contract negotiation with Disney. As Whitmire recalls, he and another actor had not closed their deals for MuppetVision 3D (a 1991 Disney parks attraction) before shooting began, which resulted in two attorneys appearing on set “and demand[ing] that the two of us sign our contracts immediately.”
The post ends with one final line: “I miss him so much….”
