Notes From The Simpsons “Diary Queen”: Harry Shearer’s Last Take As Dr. Hibbert ; The Return Of Edna Krabappel

With the overnight ratings registering a 0.5 with just a shade under 1.4 million viewers actually watching, I’m sure a lot of you probably missed two major events that went down on last night’s episode of The Simpsons entitled “Diary Queen”.

First up, the voice of Edna Krabappel, aka Marcia Wallace, received a posthumous send off with an episode that centered on Bart discovering Edna’s diary that saw what the teacher really believed in him, furthermore, featuring Emmy-winning Marcia’s voice used from past episodes (used with permission from Marcia’s estate). You can read our review of the episode here to get a full recap of what went down and what we thought of the reprisal.

Unfortunately, the voice actor who voiced Edna’s one-time husband in Ned aka Harry Shearer, will also be retiring his take on Dr. Hibbert effective Feb 21st when Kevin Michael Richardson takes over on the 28th. This, along with Hank Azaria dropping his role of Carl is the first in the latest of moves following the proclamation that BIPOC characters can no longer be voiced by white people. Harry was one of the few advocates against this idea, noting that it’s an actor’s job to play a role that they are not all while fully endorsing inclusivity behind-the-scenes.

Kevin Michael Richardson is no stranger to the voice acting world, and has seen many a stops for F is for Family, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and a slew of other franchises.

Synopsis:

The longest-running primetime scripted show in television history, THE SIMPSONS exploded into popular culture in 1990 and has remained one of the most groundbreaking and innovative entertainment franchises, recognizable throughout the world. HOMER (Dan Castellaneta), MARGE (Julie Kavner), BART (Nancy Cartwright), LISA (Yeardley Smith) and MAGGIE are instantly identifiable television icons. Rounding out this cast of characters are many beloved Springfield residents, including tavern proprietor MOE SZYSLAK (Hank Azaria) and nuclear power plant owner MR. BURNS (Harry Shearer). The Emmy Award-, Annie Award- and Peabody Award-winning animated comedy will begin its 32nd season this year and will celebrate a landmark 700 episodes this spring. Additional upcoming guest voice stars this season include Olivia Colman, Hannibal Buress, Ben Platt and Michael Palin.

THE SIMPSONS is a Gracie Films Production in association with 20th Television. James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Al Jean are the executive producers. The Gracie Films Worldwide Brand Division develops and produces the licensed content for the series.