The Simpsons has officially debuted Milhouse’s new voice actor after 35 years with the final episode of Season 36. Pamela Hayden officially announced her retirement from the long running animated series last year, and fans were then treated to her final few performances through a couple of the episodes she had recorded before her time with the series’ production had ended. Hayden had been a part of the animated series since the very first season, so it was the first major departure of one of the members of the original voice cast who have been around since the very beginning.
Hayden’s multiple roles in The Simpsons would then go on to be recast with a previous episode of Season 36 debuting Mo Collins as the voice of one of Hayden’s other characters, Jimbo Jones. But now that the newest season has come to its end, there’s one final appearance from Milhouse featuring the new voice star behind the character. Kelly Macleod has officially made her debut as Milhouse in the series with The Simpsons’ Season 36 finale, and you can check it out below as nabbed from the episode by @xSunnyEclipse on X.
The Simpsons Debuts New Milhouse Voice Actor
Ahead of The Simpsons‘ Season 36 finale, it was officially announced that Milhouse Van Houten would be voiced by singer Kelly Macleod. Originally starting out as a member of the rock band Private Life, Macleod has gone on to perform with other bands such as The Sweet Potatoes and even has had a notable solo career. Macleod has even made a previous appearance on The Simpsons during Season 33’s “Bart the Cool Kid” where she had performed the song, “Two Badges, One Mind.” So she’s got some experience with the long running animated series already.
Macleod’s debut in The Simpsons is also likely not the best reflection of the kind of unique performance she’ll be bringing to Milhouse overall. The Simpsons Season 36 finale jumps 35 years into the future, and sees Bart and Lisa reunite as adults when Homer is seemingly put in danger. Milhouse is working together with Bart, and although he still says his traditional “Wazzup?” it’s also a much older version of the Milhouse than we’ll see in future episodes. It’s just the first sample of her time with the series, and we’ll be seeing much more of Milhouse in future seasons of the series.
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What’s Next for Milhouse?
Pamela Hayden might have retired, but thankfully her characters are still going to be a part of The Simpsons for years to come. The animated series has been recently renewed as part of a massive deal with Fox. Together with other animated franchises Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and even American Dad (which is being moved back over from TBS after 12 years), The Simpsons has been renewed for four more seasons. Which means that the series is at least going to run up through Season 40.
This also means there are four more seasons of stories to tell with The Simpsons, and Milhouse is likely going to have a big role in at least a few of the episodes. The latest seasons have been fairly experimental in the way it has shown new looks at the characters who have been around for such a long time, and that’s hopefully one of the major elements that continues with future seasons. Milhouse is prime for a new focus episode, and with four more seasons there’s plenty of opportunity to help make that happen.
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