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Steve Whitmire
Whitmire at the QA in the Patty Hawkins Galaxy Con Raleigh at 2023
Born	Steven Lawrence Whitmire (1959-09-24) September 24, 1959 (age 65) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupations	Puppeteer voice actor
Years active	1978–present
Spouse	Melissa Whitmire ​(m. 1978)​
Website	stevewhitmire.website
Signature

Steven Lawrence Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer and voice actor, known primarily for his work on The Muppets and Sesame Street. Beginning his involvement with the Muppets in 1978, Whitmire inherited the roles of Ernie and Kermit the Frog after Jim Henson's death in 1990; he performed the characters until 2014 and 2016, respectively. As part of the Muppet cast, he has appeared in multiple feature films and television series, performing a variety of characters on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock and during such occupations has been employed by The Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop, and The Muppets Studio.

Career

Whitmire first appeared (unpaid) at a pre-show event at Six Flags Over Georgia. He performed with his then alter-ego puppet Otis for the children waiting to see a multimedia show.

Before graduating high school, Whitmire had his first "professional" puppeteering job using Otis at "The World of Sid & Marty Krofft" in Atlanta, the first indoor theme park. From there Whitmire appeared on local Atlanta TV live for 2 1/2 hours every day on "The Kids Show with Otis" taking telephone calls from children and adults. The show received more than 2000 calls per hour. WATL was owned at that time by former Atlanta children's television host "Officer Don" Kennedy. Otis made appearances on various WATL 36 shows with Atlanta's Ludlow Porch, performing with the Georgia Bulldogs' Larry Munson, Don Kennedy, and Entertainment Page host Artie Goodman. As Otis, Whitmire interviewed Olivia Newton-John during a tour promoting an album.

He worked with puppets after graduating high school, and eventually got a job working on The Muppet Show in 1978. Since then, Whitmire performed in almost every major Henson company project, including non-Muppet projects such as The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Dinosaurs.

Characters performed

Whitmire was the second performer of two signature Muppets—Kermit the Frog and Ernie—after the death of their creator and original performer Jim Henson (with whom he shared a birthday) in 1990. Whitmire was personally asked by Brian Henson and Jane Henson to be Kermit's performer a few weeks after Jim Henson's death. Heather Henson arranged for a Kermit puppet to be sent to Whitmire's residence; however, Whitmire hid the puppet away for weeks before deciding on taking on the role. Following Richard Hunt's death and Jerry Nelson's retirement, Whitmire took over the roles of Beaker and Statler, respectively. In 2014, Billy Barkhurst took over the role of Ernie, with Peter Linz taking over that role in 2017.

Muppet characters original to Whitmire include Rizzo the Rat, Lips (the trumpet player from Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem), Miss Piggy's dog Foo-Foo, Wembley Fraggle and Sprocket the Dog on Fraggle Rock, and Bean Bunny, a character that originated in The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (1986).

Whitmire voiced Link Hogthrob in the Muppet RaceMania and Muppets Party Cruise video games. He also performed Link for the 2011 film The Muppets. This was the first speaking appearance of the character since the death of Jim Henson, the original performer of Link. He also performed him in Muppets Most Wanted. In 2008, Whitmire took over another of Jim Henson's roles, The Muppet Newsman.

Dismissal from the Muppets

In July 2017, The Muppets Studio announced that Whitmire was no longer involved with the Muppets and that fellow Muppet performer Matt Vogel was cast as Kermit's new performer. Whitmire stated that he was dismissed from his roles in October 2016 because of undisclosed issues that he said had not been discussed before his dismissal. In their decision-making, The Walt Disney Company (owner of The Muppets Studio) consulted the Henson family, who supported the recasting of Kermit and Whitmire's dismissal.

Brian Henson stated that issues with Whitmire began in the mid-1990s, and said that Whitmire would make "outrageous demands and often played brinkmanship", mentioning that "Steve would use 'I am now Kermit and if you want the Muppets, you better make me happy because the Muppets are Kermit.' And that is really not OK." He additionally stated that Whitmire would "send emails and letters attacking everyone, attacking the writing and attacking the director". He also expressed guilt for not dismissing Whitmire and recasting Kermit before selling the Muppets to Disney in 2004, "because I knew that it was going to be a real problem". Lisa Henson stated that Whitmire was opposed to having an understudy for Kermit and refused to train one, which became problematic when it came to "B-level performances, such as a ribbon-cutting," at some of which she said he was unwilling to appear. She also stated that he "blackballed young performers" by refusing to appear in shows with them.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that same month, Whitmire stated he was dismissed for disagreements over Kermit's characterization and prolonged labor union negotiations between Disney and SAG-AFTRA (of which Whitmire is a member) that delayed his involvement in Muppet productions. Whitmire alleged that Disney offered him what he called "consolation prizes" if he voluntarily left, including honoring him as a Disney Legend, under the public pretense that he would be retiring from performing. In a statement released to The New York Times, Debbie McClellan, then-head of The Muppets Studio, said that they "raised concerns about Steve’s repeated unacceptable business conduct over a period of many years, and he consistently failed to address the feedback". Whitmire has expressed an interest in making amends and resuming his role with the Muppets in the future if possible.

Personal life

In June 1978, Whitmire married his wife Melissa. They met during his senior year at Berkmar High School in Lilburn, Georgia. They live in Atlanta, Georgia.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Other appearances

References

1. Plume, Kenneth (July 19, 1999). "Muppet Central Articles - Interviews: Steve Whitmire". www.muppetcentral.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
2. ^ Hennes, Joe (October 15, 2008). "My Week with Steve: Day 4". ToughPigs.com. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
3. Elber, Lynn (September 17, 2015). "'The Muppets' puts Kermit, Miss Piggy and pals under the mockumentary spotlight in TV return". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
4. Lloyd, Robert (May 16, 2015). "If Harry Shearer leaves 'The Simpsons,' what will happen? Just ask Bugs Bunny". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
5. Alter, Ethan (March 24, 2016). "What It Was Like to Star in ABC's Family Sitcom 'Dinosaurs". YahooTV. Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
6. Cosores, Philip (September 10, 2015). "Read This: What's it like to take Jim Henson's place?". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 30, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
7. ^ Parker, Ryan (July 18, 2017). "Jim Henson's Son Explains Why Kermit Actor Was Replaced". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 18, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
8. Irwin, Jon (September 2015). "On the Other Hand". Longreads. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
9. Plume, Kenneth (July 19, 1999). "Muppet Central Articles - Interviews: Steve Whitmire". muppetcentral.com. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
10. Garlen, Jennifer (September 10, 2015). Kermit Culture: Critical Perspectives on Jim Henson's Muppets. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 220–221. ISBN 9780786453757. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
11. "Season 46 Billy - Season 46". www.sesameworkshop.org. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015.
12. "Voice Of Rizzo the Rat". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
13. Conradt, Stacy (January 1, 2009). "The Stories Behind 20 Muppet Favorites". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
14. Parker, Ryan (July 10, 2017). "Longtime Kermit the Frog Voice Actor Replaced After 27 Years". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
15. ^ Dab, Sopan; Haigney, Sophie (July 17, 2017). "Kermit the Frog Performer and Disney Spar Over an Ugly 'Muppet' Firing". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
16. Parker, Ryan (July 17, 2017). "Disney Says It Fired Kermit the Frog Actor Over "Unacceptable Business Conduct"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
17. Bacle, Ariana (July 20, 2017). "Kermit the Frog actor blames firing on 'being outspoken'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
18. Parker, Ryan (July 13, 2017). "Kermit the Frog Muppeteer Says Disney Fired Him". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
19. Whitmire, Steve (July 13, 2017). "It's Time To Get Things Started…". Muppet Pundit. Steve Whitmire. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
20. Fired Kermit The Frog Puppeteer: It Was 'A Huge Shock' | TODAY, retrieved February 22, 2021
21. Irwin, Jon (September 2015). "On the Other Hand". longreads.com. Automattic. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
22. Graser, Marc (December 6, 2013). "Watch: The Muppets Star in New Series of 'Muppisodes'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
23. Graser, Marc (August 1, 2014). "Disney Launches The Muppets Digital Series". Variety. Archived from the original on August 3, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2014.

External links

• Steve Whitmire at IMDb
• Steve Whitmire on Muppet Wiki

v t e Sesame Street
Fictional location Sesame Workshop productions Characters Educational goals Format Influence Licensing Recurring segments Accolades
People	Fran Brill Kevin Clash Joan Ganz Cooney Ryan Dillon Louise Gold Jim Henson Richard Hunt Eric Jacobson Gerald S. Lesser Peter Linz Kermit Love Joey Mazzarino Lloyd Morrisett Jerry Nelson Carmen Osbahr Frank Oz Carol-Lynn Parente Joe Raposo Martin P. Robinson David Rudman Jon Stone Caroll Spinney Matt Vogel Steve Whitmire List of guest stars List of puppeteers
Production	History Research International co-productions Elmo's World "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" Wicked Witch episode Music discography
Songs	Theme song "Bein' Green" "C Is For Cookie" "I Love Trash" "Mah Nà Mah Nà" "Monster in the Mirror" "One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others)" "Rubber Duckie" "Sesame's Treet" "Sing"
Films	Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985) The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland (1999) Cameos The Muppet Movie (1979) The Great Muppet Caper (1981) The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
U.S. spin-offs	Play with Me Sesame Sesame Beginnings Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures Elmo: The Musical The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo Mecha Builders
Television specials	Julie on Sesame Street (1973) Out to Lunch (1974) Christmas Eve on Sesame Street (1978) A Special Sesame Street Christmas (1978) Big Bird in China (1983) Don't Eat the Pictures (1983) A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) Sesame Street, Special (1988) Big Bird in Japan (1989) Sesame Street... 20 Years & Still Counting (1989) Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake (1991) Sesame Street: 25 Wonderful Years (1993) Sesame Street Stays Up Late! (1993) Elmo Saves Christmas (1996) Elmopalooza (1998) The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street (1998) CinderElmo (1999) Elmo's Christmas Countdown (2007) Abby in Wonderland (2008) The Cookie Thief (2015) Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas (2016) Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration (2019) Sesame Street: Elmo's Playdate (2020)
Books	The Monster at the End of This Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover (1971) Sesame Street Together Book (1971) Happy Birthday, Cookie Monster (1986)
Literature	Sesame Street Magazine Children and Television: Lessons from Sesame Street The Sesame Street Dictionary Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America
Video games	Big Bird's Egg Catch Alpha Beam with Ernie The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure Cookie's Counting Carnival Ready, Set, Grover! Once Upon a Monster Elmo's Musical Monsterpiece Kinect Sesame Street TV
Attractions	Sesame Place Philadelphia San Diego Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic Spaghetti Space Chase Super Grover's Box Car Derby
Documentaries	The World According to Sesame Street Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street Jim Henson Idea Man
Related	The Jim Henson Company Noggin (1999-2002) Sesame Street in the UK Sesame Street Live Comic strip Syndication packages The Muppets Big Bag Oobi (episodes) Panwapa Teletape Studios Kaufman Astoria Studios The Joan Ganz Cooney Center
Category

• 1959 births
• American puppeteers
• Living people