Steve Whitmire

Steven Lawrence Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer, known primarily for his work with the Jim Henson Company, Sesame Workshop, and the Muppets Studio. Beginning his involvement with the Muppets in 1978,^[3] Whitmire originated the roles of Rizzo the Rat, Lips, Wembley Fraggle, and Bean Bunny. He also inherited the roles of Kermit the Frog and Ernie after Jim Henson's death in 1990; he performed the characters until 2016 and 2014, respectively.^[4] In later years, he also performed Statler and Beaker.

Career

Whitmire first appeared voluntarily 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 films The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986), and television series Dinosaurs.^[5]

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 in 1990.^[6] Whitmire was personally asked by Brian Henson and Jane Henson to be Kermit's performer a few weeks after Jim Henson's death.^[7] 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.^[8][9] Following Richard Hunt's death and Jerry Nelson's retirement, Whitmire took over the roles of Beaker and Statler, respectively.^[10] In 2014, Billy Barkhurst took over the role of Ernie,^[11] with Peter Linz taking over that role in 2017.^[12] According to Whitmire, the decision to recast Ernie was due to Sesame Street facing budget restructuring at the time and it was getting too expensive to fly him to New York for filming.^[13]

Muppet characters original to Whitmire include Rizzo the Rat,^[14][15] 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 who originated in the television special 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. Whitmire also performed him in the 2014 film Muppets Most Wanted. In 2008, he 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.^[16] 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, Disney (the parent company of the Muppets Studio) consulted the Henson family, who supported the recasting of Kermit and Whitmire's dismissal.^[17]

Brian Henson stated that issues with Whitmire began in the mid-1990s, and that he had warned Whitmire that his behavior needed to stop. He 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."^[7] He additionally stated that Whitmire would "send emails and letters attacking everyone, attacking the writing and attacking the director".^[17] 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".^[7] Lisa Henson stated that Whitmire was opposed to having an understudy for Kermit and refused to train one, which caused problems 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 Whitmire "blackballed young performers" by refusing to appear in shows with them.^[17] Cheryl Henson stated; "Steve is very difficult to work with, and it's been many years of being difficult, particularly for the producers".^[18]

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.^[19] Whitmire alleged Disney offered him what he called "consolation prizes" if he voluntarily left, including honoring him as a Disney Legend, under the public pretense he would be retiring from performing.^[20] 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".^[17] Whitmire expressed an interest in making amends and resuming his role with the Muppets in the future if possible.^[21][22][23]

In a 2017 episode of the Defunctland Podcast, Terri Hardin, longtime Muppet performer, alleged Whitmire was fired for wanting to retain what he felt was the integrity of Muppet characters, and was smeared as "a diva" and "hard to work with" to justify his firing.^[24][25] In a 2017 interview, Frank Oz stated "with Stevie it's so sad, because the situation with Stevie was a pure business situation, as I understand it. I'd worked with Stevie since he was 18 years old, and on the floor he's terrific. We had a lot of fun. So when he's actually on the floor — I think it was something outside that. And it's very sad."^[26]

Personal life

In June 1978, Whitmire married his wife Melissa. They met during his senior year at Berkmar High School in Lilburn, Georgia.^[27][2] They live in Atlanta, Georgia.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Other appearances

References

1. ^ Plume, Kenneth (July 19, 1999). "Muppet Central Articles - Interviews: Steve Whitmire". www.muppetcentral.com. Archived April 16, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. 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 May 18, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
5. ^ Alter, Ethan (March 24, 2016). "What It Was Like to Star in ABC's Family Sitcom 'Dinosaurs". YahooTV. Archived August 14, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. 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 October 30, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
7. ^ Parker, Ryan (July 18, 2017). "Jim Henson's Son Explains Why Kermit Actor Was Replaced". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived July 18, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
8. ^ Irwin, Jon (September 2015). "On the Other Hand". Longreads. Archived September 23, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. 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 November 18, 2015 at the Wayback Machine.
12. ^ Ryzik, Melena (April 13, 2020). "How to Get to 'Sesame Street'? These Days, It's by Video Conference". The New York Times. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
13. ^ "Post #25". www.stevewhtmire.website. September 9, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
14. ^ "Voice Of Rizzo the Rat". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived February 28, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
15. ^ Conradt, Stacy (January 1, 2009). "The Stories Behind 20 Muppet Favorites". Mental Floss. Archived January 3, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
16. ^ Parker, Ryan (July 10, 2017). "Longtime Kermit the Frog Voice Actor Replaced After 27 Years". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived July 12, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
17. ^ Dab, Sopan & Haigney, Sophie (July 17, 2017). "Kermit the Frog Performer and Disney Spar Over an Ugly 'Muppet' Firing". The New York Times. Archived July 17, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
18. ^ Stump, Scott (July 20, 2017). "Former Kermit puppeteer: I was 'stunned' to be fired with 'no advance warning'". Today. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
19. ^ Parker, Ryan (July 17, 2017). "Disney Says It Fired Kermit the Frog Actor Over "Unacceptable Business Conduct"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived July 17, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
20. ^ Bacle, Ariana (July 20, 2017). "Kermit the Frog actor blames firing on 'being outspoken'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
21. ^ Parker, Ryan (July 13, 2017). "Kermit the Frog Muppeteer Says Disney Fired Him". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived July 13, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
22. ^ Whitmire, Steve (July 13, 2017). "It's Time To Get Things Started…". Muppet Pundit. Steve Whitmire. Archived July 13, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
23. ^ "Fired Kermit The Frog Puppeteer: It Was 'A Huge Shock' | TODAY", retrieved 2021-02-22
24. ^ Perjurer, Kevin. "Defunctland Podcast Ep. 6: The Country Bears and Everything Else". Defunctland. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
25. ^ Perjurer, Kevin. "Ep. 6: The Country Bears and Everything Else". PodBean. Defunctland. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
26. ^ Watkins, Gwynne (October 20, 2017). "Frank Oz admits 'it hurt' to give up Muppets, says they'll never be as 'touching and soulful' (exclusive)". Yahoo. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
27. ^ Irwin, Jon (September 2015). "On the Other Hand". longreads.com. Automattic. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
28. ^ "Steve Whitmire (visual voices guide)" (A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information). Behind The Voice Actors
29. ^ Graser, Marc (December 6, 2013). "Watch: The Muppets Star in New Series of 'Muppisodes'". Variety. Archived December 10, 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
30. ^ Graser, Marc (August 1, 2014). "Disney Launches The Muppets Digital Series". Variety. Archived August 3, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 2, 2014.

External links

• Steve Whitmire at IMDb