Henry, who also voiced the character on the now canceled “The Cleveland Show,” made the announcement Friday night on Twitter, writing that it has been an honor to play the character for 20 years.
“I love this character, but people of color should play characters of color,” he said. “Therefore, I will leave office.”
The announcement comes shortly after “The Simpsons,” a FOX show like “Family Guy,” stated that it would no longer have white actors voiced by non-white characters. That decision came months after Hank Azaria said he would no longer portray the popular “Simpsons” character, Apu, who had been criticized as a racist, stereotypical, and degrading representation of the South Asian people.
But “Family Guy” also has other non-white characters voiced by white actors, including Tricia Takanawa, voiced by Alex Borstein, who also plays matriarch Lois Griffin.
Henry is one of the many white actors who resign
This is all part of the recent racial recognition of pop culture, as more and more creators and actors of color are holding Hollywood and the entertainment industry accountable.
This week he also saw popular comedian Jenny Slate resign from her role in “Big Mouth” as Missy Foreman-Greenwald, a young mixed race. In an explanation posted on Instagram, Slate wrote: “Black characters in an animated show must be played by black people.”
“At the beginning of the show, I reasoned to myself that it was permissible for me to play ‘Missy’ because her mother is Jewish and white, like me. But ‘Missy’ is also black and black characters in an animated show. It should be played by black people. “, said.
Citing his own “widespread privilege,” Kristen Bell also announced that she will be leaving her role as a mixed-race character on the Apple TV + animated series, “Central Park.”
Bell and the creative team behind the show acknowledge “that casting Molly’s character is an opportunity to get a proper portrayal: choosing a black or mixed-race actress and giving Molly a voice that resonates with all the nuances and experiences of character as we have drawn her, “they wrote in a statement.
Alison Brie, who voiced the Vietnamese character Diane Nguyen on Netflix’s “BoJack Horseman” also spoke on Friday, saying she wishes she hadn’t voiced the character.
“Now I understand that people of color should always voice their opinion. We missed the great opportunity to represent the Vietnamese-American community with precision and respect, and that is why I am so sorry,” he wrote. “I applaud everyone who has stepped away from their voice-over roles in the past few days. I’ve learned a lot from them.”
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