With a resume that spans literal decades, veteran voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson will be taking over the role of Dr. Julius Hibbert on The Simpsons, according to Deadline.
What’s Happening:
- Veteran voice actor, Kevin Michael Richardson will be replacing Harry Shearer as the voice of Dr. Julius Hibbert on the long-running Fox television series, The Simpsons.
- This news follows an announcement made last June that non-white characters on Fox’s animated series like The Simpsons and Family Guy, will be replaced by actors of color.
- Fox confirmed the news, saying that last night’s episode of The Simpsons, “Diary Queen,” would be the last episode that features Harry Shearer as the voice of Dr. Hibbert, with Richardson taking over the role beginning February 28th.
- The Simpsons has been on the air for more than 30 years, with Shearer providing the voice of Dr. Hibbert, as well as countless other characters, including Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, and Mr. Burns over the course of the show’s run.
- Richardson has been voicing characters for decades as well, lending his talents to Captain Gantu in Lilo & Stitch, the Guardians of the Galaxy television series, Big City Greens, Big Hero 6: The Series, Legend of the Three Caballeros, Miles from Tomorrowland, and even played a zit in the reboot of Animaniacs now on Hulu. He has also previously been featured in the cast of previous episodes of The Simpsons dating back to 2009.