During a time where people of color are fighting for equality, many industries have taken the steps to support in different ways. For the television industry, several white actors have stepped down from playing minority characters in animations.
On June 26, Mike Henry, voice of Cleveland Brown on Family Guy, announced that after 20 years he would be stepping down because he felt that a person of color should be playing it. In the announcement he included a photo of the character and expressed his love for the character.
It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role. pic.twitter.com/FmKasWITKT
— Mike Henry (@mikehenrybro) June 26, 2020
“It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years,” Henry wrote in the announcement. “ I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role.”
Kristen Bell, who plays a Black character Molly on Central Park, also stepped down from the role. The show wrote a strong message to the viewers explaining that Bell and the team felt that they will be giving roles of minorities to people of color to receive the right representation. They also claimed that they will be working toward organizing their creative roles to make sure that people of color get the same opportunities.
“Playing the character of Molly on Central Park shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege,” Kristen Bell said in an Instagram announcement. “Casting a mixed race character with a white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed race and Black American experience. It was wrong and we, on the Central Park team, are pledging to make it right.”
According to Rolling Stone, the Simpsons have also announced that going forward, they will only have a person of color playing characters of color.
