The Simpsons have become an integral part of the television landscape. To this day you can regularly watch new episodes of the popular family. But in the original, an important actress and therefore several characters are changing.
What is The Simpsons? The Simpsons premiered on December 17, 1989. The animated series is based on classic sitcoms and parodies social or pop culture topics in many episodes, and has been doing so for 35 years.
In addition to the eponymous family, there are of course countless other important characters who have been there since the beginning of The Simpsons. One of them even appeared before the actual series started, but fans of the original will soon have to adjust because Milhouse gets a new voice.
The Simpsons – The trailer for the TV premiere of the 35th season
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Bart’s friend even before the series
What happens to Milhouse? Milhouse Van Houten is Bart’s best friend, who was there before the series actually started in 1989. Bart’s school friend appeared in a commercial called The Butterfinger Group back in 1988, when The Simpsons only aired as short shorts on Fox.
He also became a constant companion of Bart in the normal series, even getting his own episodes. In the original he is voiced by Pamela Hayden. As Games Radar reports, this is now ending after 35 years. She not only voiced Milhouse, but also smaller supporting characters such as Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, Malibu Stacey and Sarah Wiggum. In a statement she said about her departure:
The time has come for me to hang up my microphone, but how do I say goodbye to The Simpsons? Not easy. […] It was an honor and a pleasure to work on such a funny, witty and groundbreaking series.
Pamela Hayden on her departure from The Simpsons (via The Hollywood Reporter)
There is a tradition before saying goodbye. Hayden will make her final episode as the English voice of Milhouse in a new episode of Treehouse of Horror. This is an annual tradition in which The Simpsons parody well-known horror films or stories in short stories. A replacement will then be sought.
Incidentally, in German, Milhouse is spoken by Michaela Amler, who has been doing so since the first episodes. Do you watch The Simpsons in German or English? Write it to us in the comments. Some characters are important even though you never see them: Five characters from The Simpsons only appear for a few seconds, but are more important than you think