During last week's onslaught of Hollywood news, Mike Henry, who for 20 years has voiced the character Cleveland for Fox's FAMILY GUY and THE CLEVELAND SHOW, announced that he'd be stepping down from the role. When asked what had sparked his decision, Henry said that he's of the opinion that "persons of color should play characters of color." News of Henry's departure from the iconic role was quickly met with a mixture of respect and disbelief from fans, leaving many to question who would take the actor's place. Enter Wendell Pierce, who on Sunday stated that he's launching a campaign to become Henry's replacement as the voice of Cleveland.
Pierce, who many know thanks in part to his dynamic roles on shows like TREME and THE WIRE, as well as Amazon's JACK RYAN series, thinks that he'd be perfect for the part. "Now that Mike Henry has consciously given up the role of Cleveland, I am publicly starting a campaign to voice the role myself on The Cleveland Show. #WendellIsCleveland," Naturally, because Pierce is the fuckin' man, his post was met with an overwhelming amount of support with regard to him assuming the role.
Not long after Henry announced his voluntary exit from voicing Cleveland, The Simpsons announced that characters of color would no longer be voiced by white actors for the long-running animated series. Similarly, both Jenny Slate and Kristen Bell have recently stated that they will stop voicing Black and biracial animated characters on BIG MOUTH and CENTRAL PARK, respectively. In looking at the more positive reactions to this news online, you'll find that some have hailed these moves as just one step in a positive direction for equality in the Hollywood workplace. The other side of that coin … well, I'll just ask that you use your imagination.
What do you think about the prospect of Wendell Pierce becoming the new voice of Cleveland for FAMILY GUY and THE CLEVELAND SHOW? Let us know if he has your vote in the comments section below.