Arif Zahir will voice Cleveland Brown's character from "Family Guy"

Last June, Mike Henry announced on Twitter that he would no longer be voicing the character, saying, “It was an honor to play Cleveland de The Griffins for 20 years. I love this character, but black people should play black characters. Therefore, I will resign from the role. "

While Henry will remain in the animated series as a regular voice actor for other characters, Zahir will take his place for the role of Cleveland Brown and will begin voicing for the episodes of season 19, now in production, which will air starting in Fall 2021. The completed season 18, which kicks off Sunday night with the 350th episode, will continue to feature Henry as Cleveland.

Henry said, “I welcome Arif to the de team The Griffins . Arif's vocal talent is obvious, but his understanding of Cleveland and his respect for the character gives me the confidence that he's in the right hands. I can't wait to get to know Arif and work with him to make sure Cleveland Brown stays as great as it always has been. "

Zahir said: “First, I am eternally grateful to have received this once in a lifetime opportunity. When I heard that Mike Henry had resigned from the role of Cleveland Brown, my favorite cartoon character of all time, I was shocked and saddened, because I thought we would never see him again. When did I know I was taking the role? A boundless gratitude. Mike Henry, he has created something truly special and I promise I will do my best to honor your legacy. To Rich Appel, Alec Sulkin and Seth MacFarlane, thank you for this amazing gift. And to the millions of fans who love this show, I promise not to disappoint you. "

Also known as azerz with over 6,2 million YouTube subscribers, Zahir is a well-known youtuber; his July tribute video to Mike Henry and his work as the voice of Cleveland Brown - with him playing Modern Warfare like Cleveland Brown - is below.

Source: Disney Television Studios