Steve Whitmire has left the Muppets, Matt Vogel to continue as Kermit

muppetlover123

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Wow this was not the news I was expecting this morning, didn't have time to respond earlier....Not the worst news we could have got but jeez. Was getting ready for work reading Twitter and saw Muppet Mindset had posted their article and I was shook with emotions, didn't know how to feel just put me in down mood for the day.

Really gonna miss Steve as he was the Kermit I grew up with, I was born after Jim's passing. And of course who could forget the other countless characters and laughs and great moments that he brought us? Watching several interviews with him, he seems like the sweetest most kind hearted person in the world, and that's the kind of character Kermit is. He brought that essence that Jim had to Kermit and at one point I couldn't tell the difference.

That's all I have for now and I hope the rest of you are good. We will overcome this though. I'm not saying theres a big revival of The Muppets coming or anything like that, or maybe there is? We wont know and sadly we have to wait, but hopefully they will attempt some sort of Youtube/TV show again or a movie but we will see.
 

Cookie Chris

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I just heard the news about ten minutes ago. I am in shock. I was born after Jim Henson's death so Steve Whitmire was the Kermit the Frog that I grew with. Like everyone else, I'm curious who will take the rest of Steve's characters. Nevertheless, I do hope Matt Vogel does justice to Kermit for now, but it's going to take time getting used to for me. Finally, my appreciation for Dave Goelz has just shot up. He is now the last of the "Old Guard" of the Muppets having done them for over forty years.

On the other hand, as usual, the news reports show their ignorance of the Muppets. TV Line and The Hollywood Reporter claim Steve was "the voice of Kermit the Frog" or has "voiced Kermit" in past productions. I'll cut them some slack because they may not be huge fans of the Muppets, but puppeteering an iconic character is mostly physically operating the character and ten percent of it is doing the voice as I seem to recall from past interviews from the Muppet performers.
 

JimAndFrank

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So....what's next for Steve? I can't see him going back to Sesame Street for any reason. Maybe he can join the team for Happytime Murders or Age of Resistance? Possibly begin running puppetry workshops and teach instead? I honestly have no idea what the circumstances are in his life, so it's hard to come to a conclusion.
 

Muppet Master

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Steve performed Kermit in

The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Muppet Classic Theater
Muppet Treasure Island
Muppets Tonight
Muppets From Space
It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa
The Muppets (2011)
Muppets Most Wanted
and The Muppets (2015)

What a legacy. 2 shows. 5 feature films. 3 direct-to-TV movies. Countless television appearances.
 
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