Our friends at Tough Pigs received this statement from The Muppets Studio:
The role of Kermit the Frog is an iconic one that is beloved by fans and we take our responsibility to protect the integrity of that character very seriously. We raised concerns about Steve’s repeated unacceptable business conduct over a period of many years and he consistently failed to address the feedback. The decision to part ways was a difficult one which was made in consultation with the Henson family and has their full support.
That support from the Henson family seems to be confirmed with this Facebook post from Cheryl Henson:
I have to disagree that Kermit has not been funny or fun. He's also never been bitter, angry, or depressed to me,
ReplyDeleteIt comforts me to see the Henson view on the matter.
But that does not mean I won't mourn Steve...
Wowzers, that's quite the response from Cheryl. While Kermit was intensely introspective in interviews, I don't think he'd have much say on the scripted stuff.
ReplyDeleteI will admit that I don't know the details and I won't pretend to. However, Cheryl's description of how Steve played Kermit is not at all accurate, which makes me dubious of her side of the story. And, I didn't crunch the numbers, but he's been playing him close to as long as Jim did. If he was so horrible he should have been pulled years ago. I have always been a fan of his portrayal. Kermit is my absolute favorite and I'm very protective of how my favorite characters are portrayed.
ReplyDelete"He had not been not funny"?
ReplyDeleteCheryl's description was certainly true on The Muppets' ABC-TV show. But wasn't Kermit written that way?
ReplyDelete