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Actor Mike Henry Steps Away From Voicing Black 'Family Guy' Character

June 26, 2020 / 4:12 PM PDT / KCAL News

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LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Actor Mike Henry announced on Friday that he will be stepping away from the voice of Cleveland Brown on the long-running Fox animated series "Family Guy."

"It's been an honor to play Cleveland on `Family Guy' for 20 years,'' Henry, a white actor, wrote on his Twitter page. "I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role.''

It's been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role. pic.twitter.com/FmKasWITKT

— Mike Henry (@mikehenrybro) June 26, 2020

There is no word yet on who might replace Henry, but his decision follows a trend of other white voice actors stepping away from playing Black characters in animated series.

Actresses Jenny Slate and Kristen Bell announced this week they would no longer be voicing mixed-race characters on Netflix's "Big Mouth" and Apple's "Central Park," respectively.

"Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane did not comment on Henry's decision, but he did retweet Henry's announcement on Twitter.