Steve Whitmire has left the Muppets, Matt Vogel to continue as Kermit

[BlakeConor14]

I ignored all rumors because I thought it was bull**** but it's true AGHHHHHH!!!! (Finds nearest cliff and jumps)

 

[gravy]

The question is: Who chose Matt? Shouldn't it be up to the Henson family although Kermit's owned by Disney?

 

[D'Snowth]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Muppets/comments/6mecog/well_this_news_finally_got_out_steve_whitmire_is/

Really hoping that we get to hear a statement from Steve at some point.

At the risk of jumping to conclusions, it sounds like Disney got fed up with him and gave him the boot? I mean, that happens: if certain performers or actors get too "meddlesome" as far as the brass goes, they'll look for any reason they can to cut them loose, and that almost sounds like what's happened to Steve.

It kind of makes sense though: wasn't Steve in particular really apprehensive and insecure about the production and release of THE MUPPETS (2011)? Like you said, I do hope we'll hear some kind of a statement from Steve at some point.

 

[Muppetboy09]

As for Rizzo, I would bet that he will be taken over by Peter. I can hear similarities in Walter and Rizzo's voice

 

[JT Yorke]

Do you guys think the muppets can survive this?

 

[inturnaround]

Do you guys think the muppets can survive this?

Of course. There was no bigger blow than losing Jim. They will rise above and Matt will do a fantastic job.

 

[Schfifty]

Aww, darn. I didn't want to believe those rumors were true, but they are now.

I wish Matt the best of luck in continuing Kermit, and as for Steve...let's just be grateful for how much he's contributed to the Muppets and Sesame Street the last 25+ years. And yes, hopefully Steve will have an official say as to why he's left.

However, I'm kind of concerned if this transition will affect Matt's time with his Sesame Street characters. He's already inherited Big Bird and the Count at least, so with inheriting Kermit now, isn't that going to make him much busier?

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

Aww, darn. I didn't want to believe those rumors were true, but they are now.

I wish Matt the best of luck in continuing Kermit, and as for Steve...let's just be grateful for how much he's contributed to the Muppets and Sesame Street the last 25+ years. And yes, hopefully Steve will have an official say as to why he's left.

However, I'm kind of concerned if this transition will affect Matt's time with his Sesame Street characters. He's already inherited Big Bird and the Count at least, so with inheriting Kermit now, isn't that going to make him much busier?

Well, I guess The Count hardly appears nowadays anyway, so that won't be much of a problem. As for Big Bird, I think Peter Linz is his understudy. And geez, if our speculations are correct, than Peter is gonna have a lot more characters soon.

 

[animalrescuer]

I don't know what to say right now! Just when I thought the rumors weren't true, they had to lower the boom! I think my heart just broke into a million bits.

He's always been one of my favorite performers, one of the best singers in the troupe. I'll always love his performances as Kermit, Rizzo, Bean, Wembley, Beaker and lots of other characters he's performed.

I trust Matt to do a good job as Kermit and the others to step up, but absolutely no one can and will replace Steve as a fantastic performer.

 

[cjd874]

Get used to the Constantine jokes, folks. You're going to be seeing a lot of them from fans now.

For the record, I've heard that Peter will be Robin now, since Matt is busy with Kermit.

But let's focus on Steve now. Lets try our best not to be sad over the matter, but rather happily remember those great Steve characters and moments that he gave us over the years.

Oh, and please give Matt encouragement. Yes, it will take some getting used to, but I for one have a lot of confidence in him.

I don't really know how to feel about this news. I'm shocked by how abrupt it is, but I'm also happy knowing that Kermit isn't being done away with.

Steve's been such an essential part of the Muppets since the 1970s, and he helped keep them alive after Jim's passing. But I agree with Mo: we should thank both Steve and Matt for their tireless work and their dedication to Jim's visions and creations. In my mind, there's no reason to speculate about who will take over Rizzo, Beaker, Link, etc. His characters will surely all end up in the right hands (no pun intended), and we will hopefully hear from Steve and/or his representatives soon.