It definitely sounds fair to say that a lot of people might not even notice the overall change in Kermit’s voice, but it is there, and it’s become an issue that’s hard to pick a side on since the drama between the voice actor of Kermit the Frog, Steve Whitmire, the Henson family, and Disney is a back and forth headache of he said, she said, they said, that doesn’t appear to have an end to it. The problem is that Whitmire isn’t going quietly, and for one reason or another, the Henson family and Disney thought it would be a good idea to fire the man over the phone instead of sitting him down face to face and talking to him. To be fair it does sound as though Whitmire is a bit egotistical and doesn’t want to listen, but when dealing with Disney it might also be hard to get a word in edgewise simply because the Mouse House and their representatives obviously like to have the last word. But, tacking on the idea that the Henson family has aligned with Disney in this argument, it’s not bound to look good for Whitmire since the Henson family, who have known Whitmire for a long time, nearly four decades, in fact, can attest to his behavior better than anyone.
Trying to come to his defense is a bit problematic since Whitmire does sounds like someone that might fly off the hook at times and feel that he’s the only person that can understand the character of Kermit and thus can be the only one that will ever exemplify the voice. After playing the part for so long that’s not hard to understand, as giving your life to a character for so long can cause a person to feel that it’s ‘their’s’ and that no one can take it from them. The only issue here, the biggest issue, is that it’s NOT Whitmire’s character, as the Henson family has spoken out against his claims of being selected by Jim Henson before his death as the successor to Kermit. The Henson’s have done everything but openly crucify Whitmire at this point as they’ve reflected every last remark that he’s leveled at them with Disney’s backing. People need to recall that Disney purchased the Muppets back in 2004, and Whitmire was released from the company in 2016, which raises a lot of questions as to why, if he was so problematic, did Disney wait for so long to get rid of him, and why in the world they thought that firing over the phone would be effective and not upset a man that has proven to be prone to less than receptive to anything that goes against his way of thinking. Of course, firing a person over the phone is a fair bit of cowardice in many cases in any regard, especially if there’s an ability to bring that person to a face to face meeting to discuss the matter.
However, this affects the Muppets moving forward it’s too obvious that Disney is likely to win out even if Steve continues to plead his case to anyone that will listen. Knowing whose side to take is a matter of principle and of course, who one chooses to believe since the truth is that from a legal standpoint, Disney and the Hensons are likely covered, while Steve kind of out in the cold and has no legal recourse. As to what it might do to the show, there’s always going to be someone that can take over since believe this, there are plenty of voice actors out there that would love the chance to play someone like Kermit and will do everything they can to modulate their voice into something that will be acceptable for Disney. And, unlike those that love to act like divas and want to think that they’re the only one that can do something like this, there are plenty of people that just want that chance and will bow and scrape as much as they need to in order to get the job. Plus, since Steve was let go around four years ago, it’s safe to assume that a lot of people haven’t really noticed the voice change that much. A lot of this has to do with the fact that people will hear what they want to hear, and unless something is so extremely different, then it’s likely that they won’t think anything of it. As of now a lot of people might be looking on in shock as they suddenly realize that Kermit’s voice is no longer being performed by the same person. But likely as not, a lot of people will just shrug and move on with their lives. Hopefully, Steve ends up realizing that he’s a talented man but he’s not ‘all that’.
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Steve is NOT “continu[ing] plead his case to anyone that will listen,” although there are plenty of us out there who still ARE willing to listen. He’s barely even mentioned the issue for nearly three years, and when he does, it’s always with an air of philosophical resignation. And if Steve “love[s] to act like a diva,” then so did Jim Henson because the positions that Steve has advocated are exactly the same as the ones Henson took in his dealings with Disney and the erstwhile Children’s Television Workshop in 1989 and 1969, respectively. The lawyers representing those companies at the time probably also thought that Henson was engaging in “unacceptable business conduct,” although they were a little more diplomatic in saying so.
I’ve read a lot more on this and I will admit that I agree with you, both sides of this issue have been quite muddied when it comes down to who might be in the wrong and who is right. What I’ve found is that Steve, who’s work with Kermit’s voice was quite influential, deserves to have his case taken seriously. Thanks for the feedback, it’s appreciated.