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

[MrBloogarFoobly]

There's no way any of us could possibly know what really has gone on behind the scenes these past 27 years.

That said, it's pretty scary how some people are so determined to defend Whitmere and hold him up as the victim that they have no problem attacking one of Henson's children.

1) Nobody is attacking Henson's children. It's true, we don't know the full story yet, but for the moment, it certainly looks like Whitmire is the victim of corporate meddling, and Cheryl Henson is towing the line in order to protect her's (and the Henson Co's) interests.

2) On a personal note, this is one of the reasons I've distanced myself from Muppet fandom in recent years. Many people behave like worshippers rather than fans. Everybody is fallible, including Jim Henson, and certainly his children, and it is perfectly fine to criticize their actions provided it is not directly attacking them as humans.

 

[Carpeteria]

Man, this whole thing is so depressing.

 

[MrBloogarFoobly]

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/arts/television/kermit-the-frog-disney-firing.html

This goes a little more in-depth. Honestly, it just sounds all around ugly. It will be difficult for the brand to retain its harmonious public image with this kind of mudslinging going on.

 

[CBPuppets]

There's no way any of us could possibly know what really has gone on behind the scenes these past 27 years.

That said, it's pretty scary how some people are so determined to defend Whitmere and hold him up as the victim that they have no problem attacking one of Henson's children.

I wasn't trying to attack Cheryl or anyone in the Henson Family. I was just rocked that she said that is all. I always have the highest respect for them.

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

I don't know if I want to watch that.

I'm getting to the point where I don't really want to hear much more of this. Not in a "sticking my head in the ground ala an ostritich / ignore the problem and it'll go away" type of way, just it's too much of an emotional rollercoaster of incomplete information.

Yeah, i'm done with it all. I won't be commenting about this again. The only posts remotely related to this that i'll be making are the ones related to Matt's debut as Kermit.

 

[KrazyJoe]

On a related note: where is the thought of the week? It should be up by now but it's not

 

[CBPuppets]

Maybe we should get this thread closed, ESPECIALLY before things get out of hand. I will always care about the Muppets and the Henson Family as well.

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

On a related note: where is the thought of the week? It should be up by now but it's not

It's been delayed until Thursday. Which is probably for the best.

 

[KrazyJoe]

It's been delayed until Thursday. Which is probably for the best.

I've been waiting all day for that

 

[MuppetsRule]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/di...conduct/ar-BBEBF64?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp

From what it sounds like to me Whitmire thought he owned the character. Disney is quoted as saying Whitmire made it difficult to go forward with projects he would constantly complain that they were taking the character in a direction that Whitmire didn't feel was in the Muppet spirit. basically this could be why we haven't gotten any new Muppet Content in a long while like TV Shows and Movies. In Whitmire's defense I loved Kermit in Muppets 2011, Muppets Most Wanted, and the ABC Muppets 2015 Show. but in Disneys defense I loved Muppets 2011, Muppets Most Wanted, and the ABC Muppets 2015 Show. If all True Whitmire comes off as An Egotistical Self centered Jerk who let It go to his Head and Thought he owned the Muppets and Kermit.

There's a quote from Steve in the Inside Edition link that kind of put me off. “I think it’s fair to say, I am Kermit and Kermit is me,” Whitmire said. For me, an "old-timer", Jim Henson WAS Kermit. And there will never be another. Now to be fair to Steve, he was a very good facsimile, but it's just that, a facsimile. There never will be another Kermit after Jim Henson.