The Simpsons might never end, but one of the show’s stars is stepping away after 35 years. Pamela Hayden—the voice of Milhouse Van Houten, Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, and more—has announced her retirement from the animated sitcom. But while she’s saying goodbye to her many iconic characters The Simpsons is not. The Simpsons will be recasting the roles of Milhouse and more.
Deadline reports The Simpsons‘ Pamela Hayden, voice Bart’s best friend, the beloved nerd named after President Richard Milhous (no “e”) Nixon—has said “the time has come for me to hang up my microphone.” In a statement, she called working on the “funny, witty, and groundbreaking show” an “honor and a joy.”
Her final performance will come in the special Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes. That ends a truly incredible, decades-long run. Hayden first voiced Milhouse way back in 1989. That debut came in, of all things, a Butterfingers commercial. Hayden’s other notable characters on the series have also included Todd Flanders “sometimes,” Sarah Wiggum, Krusty’s secretary Lois Pennycandy, Lisa’s best friend Janey Powell (though the role was recast in 2022), and Malibu Stacy. Pamela Hayden also played countless minor characters over her many years with the series.
The show honored Hayden’s retirement with a tribute video that it shared across social media. In it, Hayden talked about how The Simpsons fans love to come up to her quoting Milhouse’s line, but that while many see him as a nerd, she admires him for “always getting up” no matter how many times he’s knocked down. “I love the little guy,” she said. Speaking to Variety, Hayden added, “What I liked about Milhouse is even though he gets kicked around, he always feels like tomorrow’s going to be a better day. Whether it is or not. And I think that’s great. It’s a good analogy for life.”
Meanwhile, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening said in a statement, “Bart needed someone to talk to in the school cafeteria. We named him Milhouse because that was the most unfortunate name a kid could have… Pamela gave us tons of laughs with Milhouse, the hapless kid with the biggest nose in Springfield. She made Milhouse hilarious and real, and we will miss her.”
While fans of The Simpsons will be sad to hear one of the show’s best performers is leaving, they can take solace in knowing Hayden’s characters aren’t. The show will reportedly look for replacements. To those auditioning, Hayden has this advice, “It is a sticky wicket in the sense that, I don’t think it’s ever good to just do an impression. It is a difficult task to put your stamp on a character, but to still make it sound like the character that has already originated. You want them to bring their own gift to the party.”
While we’re sure The Simpsons will find excellent voice actors to replace all of Hayden’s characters, when it comes to one spectacled, blue-haired kid, no one will ever truly replace Hayden as Milhouse.
Originally published on November 21, 2024.
