Kermit the Frog's voice is about to change for the first time in decades
UPDATE (9:50 July 12, 2017): This story has been updated to include confirmation from a spokesperson for The Muppets Studio and a response from Steve Whitmire's blog.
After 27 years, Kermit the Frog is getting a new voice.
Steve Whitmire, the actor who's been bringing Kermit to life since 1990, is no longer performing the famous frog, a Muppets Studio spokesperson confirmed to Mashable.
Matt Vogel, a Muppet veteran, will instead take his place as the voice and action behind the iconic green frog.
Vogel joined Sesame Street in 1996, and has since played several roles, including Count von Count, Floyd Pepper, and interestingly enough, Kermit's doppelgänger, Constantine in Muppets Most Wanted. Vogel is also the Muppet Captain on Sesame Street.
In a blog post, Whitmire said he is devastated about no longer playing the role of Kermit. He wrote that he's experienced "every possible emotion since October 2016" when The Muppets Studio’s executives said they were going to recast.
He also said he's offered remedies to the issues stated by executives, and wishes they'd had a face-to-face meeting on the issue.
"I just want you all to know that I am sorry if I have disappointed any of you at any point throughout our journey, and to let everyone know that I am devastated to have failed in my duty to my hero," Whitmire wrote.
On Twitter, fans were sad but hopeful about Kermit's future in Vogel's hands.
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Kermit was previously voiced by Muppets creator Jim Henson until Henson's death in 1990, after which Whitmire took the reigns of the famous frog.
