Veteran “The Simpsons” voice actor Pamela Hayden will bid farewell to Springfield’s Milhouse, Jimbo Jones and all the other characters she helped bring to life for more than 30 years three decades.
Fox announced Wednesday that Hayden will retire from the hit animated series after 35 years. Her final episode will air Sunday on Fox, the show’s official page and Hulu said on Instagram. Replying to the show’s post, Hayden said her decision to retire came after “much deliberation” and she will “pursue other creative outlets.”
“Thanks to everyone for your love and support!,” she wrote in her comment.
Hayden made her “Simpsons” debut during the series’ premiere season in 1989 and has since appeared in almost 700 episodes. Over her 35-year tenure, she has lent her voice to recurring characters — Rod Flanders (and occasionally brother Todd), Janey Powell, Sarah Wiggum — and unnamed extras, according to IMDB. However, the timid and bespectacled Milhouse Van Houten is her “main guy,” she said in a career retrospective shared as part of Wednesday’s retirement announcement.
“People are always saying what a nerd he is … but one thing I love about Milhouse, he’s always getting knocked down but he keeps getting up,” she continues. “I love the little guy.”
Beyond the flagship series, Hayden has lent her voice to several “Simpsons” spinoff video games and the franchise’s 2007 feature film. Hayden’s voice acting credits also include “Lloyd in Space,” “Hey Arnold!” and “Turbo Teen.”
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Hayden said, “I’ll always have a special place in my heart for that blue-haired 10-year-old boy with glasses.”
Series creator Matt Groening, in a statement to THR, praised his longtime collaborator’s memorable performances and said the “Simpsons” team will miss her contributions. The series will start searching for Hayden’s successor(s) in “the near future,” the magazine reported.
Hayden’s final appearance will be in the show’s annual “Treehouse of Horror” Halloween-themed episodes. Her finale, “Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes,” airs Sunday at 8 p.m. and will follow Lisa Simpson after a mysterious man at a night circus transports her “into three strange stories from the innocent 1950s, the chilling retro-present, and a brutalist future where prestige TV rules the world,” according to Fox’s description.
Hayden announced her retirement on Wednesday by sharing an Instagram photo of herself smiling and embracing a cutout of her beloved Milhouse.