Diary Queen
– the show’s 696th episode – would be the last to feature Shearer as Hibbert, with Richardson set to take over the character’s voice from next Sunday (February 28).
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The move comes as part of a string of changes to the voicing cast, after Hank Azaria’s decision to step down as the voice of Carl last September prompted the show’s producers to vow that white actors would no longer voice non-white characters.
Kevin Michael Richardson at the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards. CREDIT: JC Olivera/WireImage/Getty
The actor told the
New York Times: “Once I realised that that was the way this character was thought of, I just didn’t want to participate in it anymore. It just didn’t feel right.”