The Simpsons has lost one of its main stars as Pamela Hayden has officially retired from the long running animated series after 35 years, and the Milhouse and more voice actor opened up about how she felt during her final recording session for the series. The Simpsons has been running strong since 1989, and the series is even in the midst of Season 36 of its run on Sunday evenings with Fox. It was shockingly announced earlier this week, however, that Hayden would be retiring from the series. As one of the biggest stars behind it all as the voice of Milhouse, Jimbo and more, it’s undoubtedly going to be a big change.
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Speaking to Cracked about leaving The Simpsons after all this time, Hayden opened up about what her final recording session was like. Unsurprisingly, it was an emotional one as Hayden stated, “I wrote a speech for the table read to thank everybody. At one point, I got a little emotional. And, since then, people have been so lovely. (Current showrunner) Matt Selman has reached out to me a lot since I left, and I heard from (former showrunner) Mike Scully the other day. It’s been lovely.”
The Simpsons Star Retires After 35 Years
When asked about what she would miss most after leaving the series, Hayden stated, “I’ll miss the work and the relationships and being around so many talented people. It’s hard to put into words. It’s every person who helps you get through the snow. It’s the engineers. It’s the cast, the writers, the producers. It’s the guy who came in and made homemade bagels one day — maybe not him quite as much as the other people, but snacks are nice.” As for looking ahead to the future for her characters, she knows they are being recast at the moment.
“Well, I know they’re recasting them. Certainly you wouldn’t want to kill off a 10-year-old boy. It is a comedy, after all,” Hayden noted. “Somebody asked me what advice I’d give to whoever takes over for Milhouse, and I’ll say it’s really not my place to give them any advice. It’s a difficult role to fill the shoes of. Not because ‘Oh, I’m so irreplaceable,’ but because it’s challenging because they need to be able to do the voice, but they also need to be able to put their creative footprint on the role, as they should.”
RELATED: The Simpsons: Milhouse’s Best Moments Across 35 Years, Ranked
What Happens to Milhouse Next?
With Hayden officially retiring from the role as of the latest episode of The Simpsons, the series will soon be recasting her characters. It’s yet to be announced who will be taking on her roles, and if they will be shared by the same person. Just as Hayden notes, it’s going to be a big ask for any new actor to jump into these roles. And it’s not because of Hayden herself, it’s because her roles have been seen across 36 seasons. That’s a big role for anyone to jump into.
The Simpsons has had plenty of experience with recasting their characters across its 36 seasons, but this is the first time that one of the main actors who has been around since the beginning is leaving the series. It really means that it’s only a matter of time before more of these central cast start to retire, and then it’ll be a question of whether or not these characters can still go on without some of the main voices behind them. This really is going to be the first real test for what The Simpsons looks like without one of its main voices.
HT – Cracked
