Steve Whitmire, has been voicing Kermit the Frog since 1990. He took over the role after Muppets creator Jim Henson passed away. Since that time the beloved Frog has changed drastically. In addition to a different voice, Kermit's personality seemed odd. Now Whitmire has been fired and replaced by Matt Vogel.
Jim Henson was a genius
Jim Henson, proved himself to be a genius who created numerous Muppets and did many of the voices himself. The most beloved was his green frog, Kermit. The Muppets began on "Sesame Street" and eventually had their own television series entitled "The Muppet Show." It originated in the United Kingdom in September 1976 and ran until 1981 with 120 episodes.
Kermit was fun loving and at times a little depressed. He sang a song about his plight entitled "It ain't easy being green." One of the most fun things about the Muppets was Kermit trying to stay away from Miss Piggy who was in love with him. He was always trying to let her down easy but Miss Piggy never gave up. After Henson's death, however, life changed for the pig and the frog.
Whitmire's Kermit had a voice that could easily be detected as not the original. The dynamic between Kermit and Piggy changed from playful banter to being more serious. They became a couple and later broke up. This took away the fun because fans loved and longed for the carefree Kermit. In recent years the popular icon seemed to go far away from the personality that the genius of Jim Henson created him to be.
Kermit will live on
Jim Henson's son Brian said that Steve Whitmire was fired because of outrageous demands. He told The Hollywood Insider that Whitmore would imply that he should be kept as Kermit's voice because Kermit is the Muppets. It sounds like he used the lovable frog as leverage and did not believe anyone else could voice the Muppet except himself.
Unfortunately for Whitmire, Kermit will live on through the voice of Matt Vogel.
Long time Muppet fans will have to get used to a third personality voicing Kermit. The younger generation will have no memory of Jim Henson's lovable little creature and have no way to compare. Henson's daughter Cheryl said Whitmire was fired because he changed Kermit into a bitter victim. She added that he strayed far away from her father's good-natured Frog who was the Muppet leader. Time alone will tell if Matt Vogel's Kermit will be more like the original.
