Credit: FoxA longtime Simpsons cast member has announced their retirement.
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Pamela Hayden, best known for voicing Milhouse Van Houten, Bart’s hilariously pathetic fried in The Simpsons, has announced she will be retiring from the show after 35 years. The news of Hayden’s departure from the iconic animated sitcom came on Wednesday, November 20, shocking not only The Simpsons fandom but the entertainment world at large.
While the core cast of Homer, Bart, Marge, Lisa, and Maggie remain the focus of the long-running animated series, a big part of The Simpsons has always been its long list of supporting characters, with Milhouse being one of the show’s most iconic.
Not only did Hayden bring life to Milhouse, but she also voiced other classic characters over the years, such as school bully Jimbo Jones and the bible-obsessed Rod Flanders.
Hayden’s last episode as Milhouse and Jimbo will air this Sunday with the next iteration of The Simpsons‘ infamous Halloween special, Treehouse of Horror. The upcoming episode, Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked Way This Comes, will follow Lisa after she gets transported into “three strange stories.”
The official Twitter/X account for the show shared a tribute video for Hayden and the characters she has voiced over the last three decades.
Thank you for 35 years of Milhouse and so many more, Pamela Hayden! Watch her final performance on #TheSimpsons this Sunday on @FOXTV, the next day on @hulu
Thank you for 35 years of Milhouse and so many more, Pamela Hayden!
Watch her final performance on #TheSimpsons this Sunday on @FOXTV, next day on @hulu. pic.twitter.com/Ywr55m2Xwh
— The Simpsons (@TheSimpsons) November 20, 2024
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“The time has come for me to hang up my microphone, but how do I say goodbye to The Simpsons?……not easily,” Hayden said in a statement. “It’s been an honor and a joy to have worked on such a funny, witty, and groundbreaking show, and to give voice to Milhouse (and Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, Janey, Malibu Stacy, and many others).”
The Simpsons is currently in the middle of its 36th season, an astounding achievement for any show, let alone one that started as a small offshoot from The Tracy Ullman Show. Originally intended to be very short, bite-sized bits of animated comedy, creator Matt Groening expanded The Simpsons into a half-hour animated comedy for Fox.
Fast forward 35 years later, and The Simpsons remains a cornerstone of American culture and entertainment, with the iconic neon-yellow family appearing in all forms of media and merchandise.
With over 750 episodes now, The Simpsons holds the record as the longest-running animated series, sitcom, and scripted primetime series in American television history and continues to chug along.
However, with Hayden announcing her retirement from the series, fans are likely wondering what the future of The Simpsons may look like. Fox has already announced it will cast new voice actors for Hayden’s roles, but it’s unclear what happens when central players, like Dan Castellaneta, who plays Homer, or Marge’s Julia Kavner, announce they are done with the show.
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