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

[Oscarfan]

Look at this message Peter sent me: https://www.facebook.com/peterlinzp...otif_t=feed_comment&notif_id=1500348145830941 I hope this doesn't mean Billy's not with Sesame anymore, cause he's a talented performer.

Aw, poor Billy. Barely got a chance to make his mark.

 

[beaker]

Well...guess a return of Fraggle Rock definitely isn't happening now.

Again, for all the Muppet fandom intelligentsia gatekeepers, you really are going to side with Disney and try and sweep this all under the rug after this video?

The video isnt on youtube yet, but its embedded in this exclusive interview. Steve Whitmire is completely broken, in tears here. He says he is Kermit, and Kermit is him. 100% Steve!
http://www.insideedition.com/headli...ptly-axed-after-27-years-so-much-hope-is-gone


Part of me wishes a master puppet fabricator could create exact replicas of Kermit and Rizzo, Disney lawyers be ******, and have youtube guerrilla shorts called "The Real Kermit".

I've been a part of online Muppet fandom since the mid 1990's and I'll be darned if people think real Kermit fans are going to be told to just shut up and accept this gross action. I almost am thinking of joining twitter to try and start the hashtags "#SteveWhitmireIsKermit", "#NoKermitWithoutSteve" and "BoyCottDisney".

The more each day passes and more of this betrayal comes out, the more people who are true Muppet fans are not going to take this news silently.

Disney and the Hensons are throwing Steve under a bridge, saying he was tarnishing the legacy of Jim and Kermit...when its the garbage writing Steve had to swallow that was tarnishing the legacy.

 

[D'Snowth]

Well, if this is how everything has gone down, then it really doesn't surprise me that Disney or the Muppets Studio would fire Steve on those terms. Why? Because this is something that happens all too often in the entertainment industry: somebody "gets out of line," (so to speak), gets too complainy, too nitpicky, too "demanding," they can face termination for it. Show business can be really grudging that way, this is why more oftne than not, actors/performers/day players/what have you are too scared to speak their mind the way Steve apparently has been, because they know this will get them into hot water, and they could lose their jobs as a result of it.

With that being said, I kind of have to side with Steve on this one: I've made my opinions known for years that I feel the main problem with recent Muppet projects has been that Disney won't bring in actual Muppet writers to work on them, so I can totally understand why Steve may have had issues with the scripts for the new show, and I can totally understand why he was nervous and apprehensive about the 2011 movie, and I can understand if he often "fought" with Disney about the direction the Muppets were going in.

At the same time, I can understand why other parties were probably becoming increasingly annoyed with Steve's nitpicking and complaining, however it's a tough pill to swallow seeing these accusations from not only Disney, but the Henson family as well that Steve's behavior goes beyong nitpicking, but that he's also been demanding, stubborn, condescending, and would apparently "attack" other performers and Henson/Disney employees. Nevertheless, I have a feeling if Jim were alive to see this situation unfold, his reaction would be . . . to just sit there quietly and avoid the ugliness as much as he could, and probably even console Steve with a big bear hug like he did for Richard Hunt after David Lazer chewed him out once. I know Jim tried to instill this sense of human compassion into those who were part of his life, including his family, which is why this makes Cheryl and Lisa's comments hard to swallow (Brian to a lesser extent, since he seems to be "meh" about the whole thing so far).

Like Drtooth and others have mentioned earlier, this is really turning into a "He Said, She Said" scenario, and really the only consistency with the story is that Steve was fired for his conduct and for being too nitpicky . . . Steve's account that he was simply trying to fight for the integrity of the Muppets could be true, Disney and the Henson family's account that he was becoming a pest and nuisance could be true.

Either way, all I can say is with the recent happenings in the Muppet world, from the deaths of Jerry Nelson, Jane and John Henson, the resignations of Kevin Clash and Joey Mazzarino, and now the termination of Steve Whitmire and the scathing things Disney and the Henson family are saying about him . . . I really believe this would all be way too much for Jim himself to handle.

 

[beaker]

The Henson Family and Disney execs all destroying the name of Steve and throwing him under the bus reminds me of how Hillary Clinton and the Democrat Party bigwigs sabotaged and trashed Bernie Sanders.

I was torn, and still feel torn about the Kevin Clash situation, tho ultimately I sided with Sesame Workshop(Tho, the situation with Joey and the letting go of longtime cast members I didn't agree with) A lot of people are comparing this to the loss of a Muppet or Sesame performer, in saying eventually we get used to a recasting. Which I strongly disagree.

When a Muppet performer passes away, we as a community and fans feel a deep sadness, but through the right performer those characters can live on in in their honor(the exception being Oz who on his own parted ways)

But seeing Steve Whitmire devastated and in tears, no this is not the same. This is the very heart and soul of Kermit, the icon and head of the Muppet legacy, being ripped out.

Then again, this is modern drunk with power Disney we are talking about. The new Wreck it Ralph sequel thats their big fall tentpole next year is literally about people being mean on the intenet and the Disney Princesses, Star Wars characters and Buzzfeed swirling together.

 

[DARTH MUPPET]

Alright. Let's just make this whole thing a lot simpler.

• Just because you like Steve, doesn't mean he wasn't in the wrong

• Just because you like Disney, doesn't mean they weren't in the wrong

There is obviously a lot more to this situation that we don't know, and it is probably better off that way.

We should obviously respect the casting choices of both Disney and the Henson company, while still being respectful to all involved parties.

At the end of the day, nobody is perfect, and nobody will "win" in this whole ordeal. The best we can do is forgive, forget, and support the future of the Muppets. They need it now more than ever.

you could also say just because you like Steve doesn't mean you have to think he is right.

and just because you don't like Disney doesn't mean you have to think there wrong, doesn't mean you have to hate the big bad corporation.

I pose this question to anyone who thinks Disney is in the wrong here, what do you think of the fact that every one of Jim Henson's kids agrees with Disney, Jim's kids actually said way harsher things then Disney. what do you guys think of Jim's kids do you trust them more then Whitmire?

 

[DARTH MUPPET]

Someone better be writing a tell-all book as we speak because this is so interesting.

Now for my analysis of the situation. This is how I see it, and all opinion.

I think the main reason why the Henson kids have been quiet until now is because it's kind of poor taste to openly diss someone who works for you and that you have given the opportunity to puppeteer your biggest character. Now that he doesn't work for either company, it's fair game, and I'm eating it all up.

Maybe at one point, Steve was thought to be a good "replacement" for Jim, so that is why Brian offered the position to him. I would think the other Henson siblings would have been consulted as well, but maybe Brian had the ultimate decision in the end (this would give reason to Cheryl's FB post).

Obviously somewhere as time went on, Steve began feeling entitled. He didn't feel like the characters were being handled correctly so he started sending notes etc.

Let me tell you that if you start sending notes to your boss about how to run things, no matter how long you've been working for said company, you WILL be fired. If Steve didn't like how things were going for the Muppets (which he openly says he didn't) then he should have left long ago.

His line in the recent Inside Edition video really irks me. "I am Kermit, and Kermit is me."

Why did he think that was a good thing to say. I'm sorry Steve, but you are not, were not, and will not "be" Kermit. Kermit was Jim, and Jim only. Anyone else is just the current embodiment of the character while performing. Nothing more, nothing less. Steve was given the great opportunity to puppeteer Kermit, that doesn't make him sole owner of the character.

I find it so interesting that 3/4 surviving Henson kids all have such strong opinions against Steve. This means that Steve's alleged behavior has been going on for over 20 years if the kids had on hand experience witnessing Steve's work behavior.

The more I read about this situation, the more interested I am to know what Steve has possibly prevented from happening, and if he has caused any more drama for the Muppet Studios. I don't like that so many people here are playing Steve as the victim, because he is the only one who has said that he is innocent in this situation. Every other source has said he is hard to work with, demanding, etc.

Now, I'm saving my thoughts on Matt's Kermit for later this week, but I have faith that Matt will bring more Jim to Kermit than Steve ever did.

I 100.1% Agree with you wholeheartedly couldn't have said it better!

 

[BlakeConor14]

I am still on team Steve he has been with those characters for 38 years and nobody knows them best apart from him and Dave goelz

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

Look at this message Peter sent me: https://www.facebook.com/peterlinzp...otif_t=feed_comment&notif_id=1500348145830941 I hope this doesn't mean Billy's not with Sesame anymore, cause he's a talented performer.

Yep, I really hope Billy gets to perform more characters. He seems to be a versatile and funny guy. *sighs. So many changes in the Muppet world in just a couple of years. Still glad we're finally gonna see more of Peter though.

 

[MuppetsRule]

Well, if nothing else comes out of this, at the very least it brought life back to this site and a few long time members back. I haven't seen this much activity here in years and years.

 

[BlakeConor14]

I do agree I was getting really bored on here as there was no activity. So it is kinda nice

Well, if nothing else comes out of this, at the very least it brought life back to this site and a few long time members back. I haven't seen this much activity here in years and years.