From the awards race to the box office, with everything in between: get the entertainment industry's must-read newsletter. That day, Zahir jokingly volunteered in a TikTok video. Mike Henry, who voiced Cleveland Brown on 'Family Guy' for 18 seasons, stepped down in June along with other white voice actors who were playing Black characters. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The animated sitcom announced on Twitter Friday that YouTuber Arif Zahir, who is Black, will now voice Cleveland in season 19. “When I heard that Mike Henry was stepping down from the role of Cleveland Brown—my favorite cartoon character of all time—I was shocked and saddened, assuming we’d never see him again. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. He will ⦠... Zahir lobbied for the role in a TikTok where he nails an impression of Cleveland, which he reposted to Twitter and tagged Henry. Jenny Slate and Kristen Bell also stepped down from their respective roles on Big Mouth and Central Park, issuing apologetic statements in the wake of ongoing anti-police-brutality protests that have sparked a national conversation about race and racism. Arif Zahir will be voicing the character of Cleveland. Slate was replaced by comedian Ayo Edebiri, while Bell was replaced by Emmy Raver-Lampman. Arif Zahir, known for his impressions of Cleveland Brown from "Family Guy," has gone from mimicking the character to actually playing him. Henry wasn’t the only white actor to step down from voicing a Black animated character over the summer. In a June Twitter post, Henry wrote: "Itâs been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. On Twitter, Arif Zafir once in a while, mentioned the words girlfriend and wife on his tweets. Now, Zahir calls Cleveland his favorite cartoon character of all time in a statement. Jenny Slate Invited a Total Stranger to Her Wedding, Trevor Noah on Breonna Taylor Case: “Nobody Is Winning”, https://twitter.com/Azerrz/status/1309546691683446784. To revisit this article, select My Account, then View saved stories. “I won’t let you down, I promise,” he pledged, in character. Excited to have you join the fam, @Azerrz," the series tweeted alongside a split photo of Zahir and Cleveland. All rights reserved. Brown was previously voiced by white actor Mike Henry, who stepped down from the role in June, saying that nonwhite characters should be voiced by nonwhite actors. "I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color," he said at the time. Zahir will replace Mike Henry, the white actor who voiced the Black cartoon character for two decades. Table of Biography . Cobra Kai Rings in the New Year With a New Season 3 ⦠Arif Zahir tweets about his girlfriend! "I'm eternally grateful to have received this once in a lifetime opportunity,". To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. CNN Sans ⢠& © 2016 Cable News Network. "We have found our new Cleveland! Arif Zahir has been cast as the new voice of Cleveland Brown on Fox's Family Guy following Mike Henry stepping down from the role. Arif Zahir is a voice actor known for voicing Cleveland Brown. Looking for more? Most of them are memes, made by him, with the only the purpose of entertaining his audience. "I ⦠But then, back in 2017, briefly mentioned that he missed his girlfriend. "We have found ⦠Actor/comedian/YouTube star Arif Zahir will ⦠Family Guy has found its new Cleveland Brown. Find Mike Henry online. Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy. â Arif Zahir (@Azerrz) September 25, 2020 Appel believes that not only will fans be impressed with Zahir but also happy to have Cleveland still around. YouTuber Arif Zahir will take over for voice actor Mike Henry, who left the role this year after saying that "persons of color should play characters of color." YouTube comedian Arif Zahir has been announced as the new voice of Family Guy 's Cleveland Brown, taking over the role from Mike Henry. Arif Zahir has been cast to voice Cleveland for the 19th season come 2021-2022. Overabundant gratitude.”, He also praised Henry for his work on the series. Arif Zahir Wife, Girlfriend, Gay. At the present time, he has aged 26 years old. Ad Choices. âFamily Guyâs Cleveland Brown to be voiced by YouTube star Arif Zahir Mike Henry, who created Cleveland Brown, has voiced the character since the show's debut in 1999 The YouTube star, 26, was hired in late September to replace Mike Henry as the voice of Cleveland Brown on the animated series. YouTuber Arif Zahir will take over Mike Henry's role on Family Guy's 19th season, which is set to air in the 2021-22 season. “Firstly, I’m eternally grateful to have received this once in a lifetime opportunity,” Zahir said in a statement, per Deadline. Zahir, a black man, promised Twitter users on Friday that he won't let them down and shared a public statement about his new role Credit: Youtube/Arif Zahir. Henry had voiced the character since the start but. “Arif’s vocal talent is obvious, but his understanding of Cleveland and his respect for the character give me confidence that he is in the right hands. Arif Zahir is an amazing voice actor who has voiced in around ten movies and TV series in total. When I learned I would get to take over the role? The move comes three months after Henry stepped down from the role at ⦠“To Mike, you created something truly special, and I promise I will do my absolute best to honor your legacy. Zahir, a black man, promised Twitter users on Friday that he won't let them down and shared a public statement about his new role Credit: Youtube/Arif Zahir. Family Guy has found the actor who will replace Mike Henry, who has voiced Cleveland for the last 20 years. Sign up for our daily Hollywood newsletter and never miss a story. More From Jon Arvedon. I look forward to getting to know Arif and working with him to make sure Cleveland stays every bit as awesome as he has always been.”. And to the millions of fans who love this show, I promise not to let you down.”. I v-volunteer as tribute 𥺠#clevelandbrown #MikeHenry #familyguy #voiceactor @mikehenrybro @FamilyGuyonFOX pic.twitter.com/Qla58e6Z9t. — Charlie Kaufman’s Confounding I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Explained— Inside Robin Williams’s Quiet Struggle With Dementia— This Documentary Will Make You Deactivate Your Social Media— Jesmyn Ward Writes Through Grief Amid Protests and Pandemic— What Is It About California and Cults?— Catherine O’Hara on Moira Rose’s Best Schitt’s Creek Looks— Review: Disney’s New Mulan Is a Dull Reflection of the Original— From the Archive: The Women Who Built the Golden Age of Disney. Updated 1828 GMT (0228 HKT) September 25, 2020. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Images, Youtube and more on IDCrawl - the leading free people search engine. Arif Zahir Twitter: Youtube: Arif Zahir Youtube: Instagram: Arif Zahir Instagram: View more / View less Facts of Arif Zahir: Azerrz is an American voice actor, comedian, and impressionist famous on YouTube. The former longtime white voice actor for Cleveland, Mike Henry, ⦠© 2020 Condé Nast. He is young and handsome who was born on April 15, 1994, in Berkeley, California. In a June Twitter ⦠Arif Zahir stands with height is 5 feet 9 inches and his weight is 75kg, his other body measurements are not known. Arif Zahir is taking over for Mike Henry moving forward, and it is clear that heâs been studying the inflections because Clevelandâs voice is perfect. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends, Cleveland is also one of the few recurring African American characters on the show. The announcement comes just ⦠Arif Zahir is getting ready for his closeup on "Family Guy." Henry, who has voiced Brown since 1999, also issued a statement approving of the casting. Zahir, a YouTuber with more than 6 million followers, will replace Mike Henry in the upcoming 19th season, Fox announced Friday. Azerrz uploads video game trolling, gameplay and commentary videos in addition to prank call and sketch comedy content. Family Guy has found its new Cleveland Brown. He was conceived during the seventh-inning stretch of a Cleveland Indians game. YouTuber Arif Zahir will take over for voice actor Mike Henry, who left the role this year after saying that "persons of color should play characters of color." YouTuber Arif Zahir has been announced as the new voice of Cleveland Brown in Family Guy, after Mike Henry stepped down from the role. To [co-showrunner] Rich Appel, [writer and producer] Alec Sulkin, and [creator] Seth MacFarlane, thank you for this incredible gift. Arif Zahir is set to replace Mike Henry as the voice of Cleveland Brown in 'Family Guy'. If you're so inclined, you can follow Jon on Twitter at @JonArvedon. Take a visual walk through his career and see 1 image of the character he voiced.. The show already has been renewed for Seasons 20 and 21. Contact Info: FOX has revealed that Arif Zahir will replace Mike Henry in the role of Cleveland Brown on Family Guy. YouTube star Arif Zahir has been tapped to costar on the long-running animated Fox series, marking ⦠Zahir also tweeted a video of himself doing his take on Brown. YouTube star Arif Zahir has been tapped to costar on the long-running animated Fox series, marking the first time a Black actor will voice this Black character. A post shared by Arif Zahir (@azerrz.4rif) News of Zahir's casting comes just a day after it was announced that The Simpsons had found a new actor to voice Carl Carlson. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/20) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/20) and Your California Privacy Rights. On Friday, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane and showrunners Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin announced on Twitter that voice actor and YouTube star Arif Zahir ⦠The 54-year-old voice actor announced in June he would be stepping down as the voice of the popular 'Family Guy' character - who once had his own spin-off in the form of the since-axed 'Cleveland Show' - as he no longer felt it was right for him to voice a Black character. “I welcome Arif to the Family Guy team,” Henry said, according to Deadline. A YouTuber, Arif Zahir, who goes by the name of Azerrz on the video-sharing platform, has been selected to voice Cleveland on Family Guy's 19th season episodes with the animated show renewed for two more seasons.Announcing about the same, Zahir shared a tweet on September 25 and promised the audience and his fans that he will not let them down. Cleveland Orenthal Brown Sr. is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. 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