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

[muppetperson]

Good news guys, we can rule out ill-health in regards to Steve's departure from the Muppets! Mike Quinn said all was good on Facebook. He even hinted that this isn't the last we'll see of Steve. He'll be back out in the world doing something, just not with the Muppets.

Mike also mentioned that Steve's reason for leaving should stay between him and Disney. So, make of that what you will.

So, I am thinking it is something along the lines of a pay issue or disagreement in the way the Muppets are heading??

 

[FletchySRF3088]

I've still been trying to deal with the sadness and shock I've felt since yesterday. Earlier today, an idea came to me. I've been trying to get back into writing and recently started a blog. I thought a good way to deal with this sadness and to lead up to the debut of Matt Vogel's Kermit in less than a week would be to make a post each day celebrating highlights from all the work Steve's given us over the years. Considering his amazing singing talent, I feel the highlights coming up will (mostly) be musical and have decided to call it "Steve Whitmire's Greatest Hits" - admittedly, not a very catchy title but the best I could come up. Every moment may not necessarily be musical though. The thing that always stuck out to me with Steve's performances (especially with Kermit) would be the mannerisms and movements he give to makes us believe his characters were alive. His skills as a puppeteer and actor always shone bright the most to me. So I thought I'd also pick out moments that really showcase that, too.

My writing skills in this post probably leave a little to be desired but I'm still trying to get back into the swing of it, and I started this just before leaving to work and finished it after coming back from work. Hopefully I'll get better with each post and finally figure out the words I want to say in a more eloquent and articulate fashion.

 

[RowlfFan12]

This has made me pretty sad, too. I grew up with Steve's Kermit, as well as Rizzo the Rat and Bean Bunny, as well as all his other characters he performed. I especially grew up with him performing Ernie. Not sure if I mentioned before, but I was slowly introduced to Sesame Street through Play with Me Sesame, and I enjoyed watching the scenes with him in them. I love the combination of Gonzo and Rizzo, and Steve played off of Dave very well. All the best to Steve.
And also, I look forward to hearing Matt as Kermit. I'm sure he'll be great!

 

[D'Snowth]

With so many people saying Steve's Kermit and Ernie are the ones they grew up with, I grew up with an interesting combination of both his and Jim's versions.

I was born a year before Jim died, so Steve was already performing the characters by the time I would be old enough to remember, well, anything. That being said, however, as a tot, I already been seein Jim's versions of the characters through home video: I had a number of My Sesame Street Home Video tapes with clips and inserts of Jim's Ernie and Kermit, not to mention we had movies like TMM, GMC, MTM, and FTB on VHS, so I was very well familiar with Jim's Kermit and Ernie when I was a little kid . . . I don't think I even knew that Jim was dead or that Ernie and/or Kermit had been recast until MTI came out in theaters, but I guess I didn't think much of it because I don't remember Steve's Kermit phasing me when I saw MTI - I guess because at that age, I already knew how to accept such things: when SPACE JAM came out, I was aware that Mel Blanc was dead, and therefore, the Looney Tunes would have different voices, so yeah.

Not to mention, I think we all here know all too well that while the Muppet characters may go on forever, their performers don't, and we just have to accept it when they get new performers: they may not sound or act exactly the same, but if they did, that would be nothing more than an imitation, and the performers need time to bring something from themselves into the characters, like Steve did with Kermit and Ernie; they're not Jim's Kermit and Ernie, but that doesn't make them better or worse, just different. Same with Eric doing Frank's characters, or Matt doing Jerry's characters, or David doing Richard's characters - we all have to make adjustments, but as long as people are willing to keep these characters alive, that's what's really important.

Having said that, until we hear something else otherwise, my conclusions about this are that either Disney fired Steve for butting heads with them to much, or Steve left the Muppets for similar reasons Joey left SST.

 

[GonzoMan]

Good news guys, we can rule out ill-health in regards to Steve's departure from the Muppets! Mike Quinn said all was good on Facebook. He even hinted that this isn't the last we'll see of Steve. He'll be back out in the world doing something, just not with the Muppets.

Mike also mentioned that Steve's reason for leaving should stay between him and Disney. So, make of that what you will.

Well, it's good to know Steve will still be active. What will he be doing?

 

[dwayne1115]

Well, it's good to know Steve will still be active. What will he be doing?

Help building Tump's wall?

 

[minor muppetz]

Mike also mentioned that Steve's reason for leaving should stay between him and Disney. So, make of that what you will.

I think that means that, if we were to contact Whitmire or Disney and they didn't want to reveal the reason, we should respect their wishes (especially Whitmire's). Or maybe we should just not worry about the reason for retirement and, if we were to contact Whitmire, to not ask.

 

[JimAndFrank]

Help building Tump's wall?

Hey, you can't use the same joke twice!

 

[muppetlover123]

So, I am thinking it is something along the lines of a pay issue or disagreement in the way the Muppets are heading??

I'd assume the 2nd one but that's just my speculation or opinion possibly like Joey from SS did

 

[muppetlover123]

Don't mean to double post but that brings up another question for another thread...what direction are The Muppets even heading? Other then the Hollywood bowl but yeah like I said another thread.

Either way The Muppets will go on and exist in our world.