Billy Porter, Zachary Quinto, and More Join ‘Proud Family’ Series

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the proud family

Left Image Credit: Disney / Right Image Credit: ABC

The Proud Family first aired on Disney Channel in 2001 and instantly became a fan-favorite as viewers followed 14-year-old Penny Proud.

Now, fans of the show will get to relive the nostalgia of The Proud Family as new episodes for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder are currently in production!

Related: Fan Petition Calls to Cancel “Racist” ‘Proud Family’ Sequel

The Proud Family racist
Credit: Disney

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder

We already knew that actress Keke Palmer will voice a new character for the show — a teen activist who goes by the name of Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins. Additionally, the creator of the original series, Bruce W. Smith, and executive producer, Ralph Farquhar, will return to develop the new episodes for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Co-executive producer and story editor Calvin Brown Jr. will also join.

Now, we have more information surrounding The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder — Billy Porter (Pose), Zachary Quinto (Star Trek), and EJ Johnson (Rich Kids of Beverly Hills) have all been confirmed to join the series as brand-new characters.

proud family
Credit: Disney

The official press release reads:

Billy Porter (“Pose”), Zachary Quinto (“Star Trek”) and EJ Johnson (“Rich Kids of Beverly Hills”) have joined the cast of the upcoming Disney+ animated series “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.” Porter and Quinto, respectively, voice Randall and Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins, mixed-race adoptive parents to 14-year-old activist Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, previously announced to be voiced by Keke Palmer. Johnson will voice Michael Collins, Penny’s best guy friend who is a non-conforming trendsetter, serving up fierce looks at school and on the basketball court. New character images were released today.

“The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” will pick up the story of its central character Penny Proud and also include her madcap family: parents Oscar and Trudy, twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, and her grandmother Suga Mama (and Puff!). Of course, it would not be “The Proud Family” without Penny’s loyal crew Dijonay Jones, LaCienega Boulevardez and Zoey Howzer, among others.

The Proud Family
Credit: Disney

Cast members reprising their voice roles from the original series are: Kyla Pratt as Penny Proud, Tommy Davidson as Oscar Proud, Paula Jai Parker as Trudy Proud, JoMarie Payton as Suga Mama, Cedric the Entertainer as Uncle Bobby, Carlos Mencia as Felix Boulevardez, Maria Canals-Barrera as Sunset Boulevardez, Alvaro Gutierrez as Papi, Karen Malina White as Dijonay Jones, Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey Howzer and Alisa Reyes as LaCienega Boulevardez.

Currently in production at Disney Television Animation for a 2022 launch on Disney+, “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” is executive-produced by Bruce W. Smith (“The Princess and the Frog”) and Ralph Farquhar (“Moesha”), both of whom led the original series. Calvin Brown, Jr. (“Moesha”) is co-executive producer and story editor, Jan Hirota (“Big Hero 6 The Series”) is producer, and Eastwood Wong (“Carmen Sandiego”) is art director.

All previous seasons of “The Proud Family” are currently available on Disney+.

the proud family
Credit: Disney

More on The Proud Family

The original show, The Proud Family, followed 14-year-old Penny Proud. Penny was trying to find her place in the world as well as her independence from her parents as she grew up.

Disney+ describes this series as:

Follow the adventures and misadventures of Penny, a typical African American girl who’s doing her best to navigate through the early years of teen-dom. Penny’s every encounter inevitably spirals into bigger-than-life situations filled with hi-jinks, hilarity and heart.

the proud family
Credit: Disney

The series was so successful it led to a movie, titled The Proud Family Movie, which Disney describes as:

Penny Proud is almost 16 years old, but her dad, Oscar, still treats her like a child! Instead of celebrating her sweet 16th birthday with her friends, she has to go on a boring vacation to the tropical Legume Island with her family. But on it, the evil Dr. Carver hopes to take over the world.

You can enjoy original episodes from the Disney Channel series, available now on Disney+. If you are not yet signed up for Disney’s streaming service, you can subscribe here.

Are you excited for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder? Let us know in the comments below.

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