Voice Actor Mike Henry on Leaving “Cleveland Brown” Role: “It’s been an honor”

Mike Henry, a white man, has voiced the black character since "Family Guy" aired its pilot episode on January 31, 1999. In the Seth McFarlane animated series, he was also the voice actor for Consuela, the Latina maid. Aside from Cleveland and Consuela, Henry also voiced Herbert the Pervert, Bruce the Performance Artist, and the Greased-Up Deaf Guy.

Ten years later, Cleveland Brown would have his own spinoff show "The Cleveland Show." Henry also voiced Rallo Tubbs, Donna Tubbs-Brown's son, from a previous relationship.

Fans have responded to Henry's post, with some seemingly mocking the decision while others wished him to stay with the beloved "Family Guy" character. One user wrote: "I expect Joe to be voiced by a paraplegic as well." In "Family Guy," Joe Swanson is the paraplegic police officer in the Quahog Police Department and is a friend to Cleveland and Peter Griffin and Glenn Quagmire.

A fellow voice actor, Joseph Wilson, gives his opinion on Henry's announcement. "Look I'm black and a voice actor and I don't think this is necessary," Wilson wrote. While he admitted to appreciating the sentiment, he doesn't think the decision to leave was needed. "That's the beauty of voice acting, the actor's appearance (including skin color) DOES NOT MATTER," the black VA added.

A Small Yet Significant Step

Mike Henry's announcement follows two other voice actors who have stepped down from voicing biracial characters. Jenny Slate took to Instagram on Wednesday, June 24. Slate voices Missy Foreman-Greenwald in the Netflix animated comedy "Big Mouth."

"I have come to the decision today that I can no longer play the character of "Missy" on the animated TV show "Big Mouth," Slate said. She explained that it was first "permissible" for her to play the character. Molly's mom is both Jewish and White. However, she argued that since Missy is also black, black people should voice her instead.

"Ending my portrayal of "Missy" is one step in a life-long process of uncovering the racism in my actions," Slate added.

Another VA to give up a black character is the actor-author Kristen Bell. She plays mixed-race Molly Tillerman in the Apple TV+ animated series "Central Park." In her Instagram account, Bell posted a statement from the show. It said that she, together with the creative team, recognizes that the character "is an opportunity to get representation right."

"Playing the character of Molly on Central Park shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege," Kristen Bell said in her IG post's caption.