“The Simpsons” is saying goodbye to the voice behind some of its most iconic characters.
Pamela Hayden, who voiced Milhouse Van Houten and a slew of other characters, announced she is retiring from the show after 35 years. Sunday's episode marks her final performance on the FOX show.
“The time has come for me to hang up my microphone, but how do I say goodbye to The Simpsons?” Hayden said in a news release. “Not easily.”
Milhouse, the unlucky best friend of Bart Simpson, was created because Bart needed a friend to talk to in the school cafeteria, according to the show’s creator Matt Groening. His name is also a nod to former President Richard Milhous Nixon.
“We named him Milhouse because that was the most unfortunate name a kid could have,” Groening said in a statement. “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.”
The character’s lines have been memed relentlessly over the years, with clips and compilations of Milhouse often garnering millions of views online.
“People come up to me and they quote Milhouse lines,” Hayden said in a video FOX shared Wednesday to commemorate her roles. “People are always saying what a nerd he is, but one thing that I love about Milhouse is: He’s always getting knocked down but he keeps getting up.”
Hayden was also the voice of bully Jimbo Jones; Rod Flanders, the oldest son of Ned Flanders; Lisa Simpson’s best friend Janey Powell; and Lisa’s Malibu Stacy doll; among others on the show.
FOX said it will soon begin casting new voice actors for Hayden’s recurring characters.
After more than three decades performing various roles on the show, Hayden noted that she will “always have a special place in my heart for that blue-haired 10-year-old boy with glasses.”
