The Simpsons might never end, but one of the show’s stars is stepping away after 35 years. Pamela Hayden—the voice of Milhouse Van Houten, Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, and more—has announced her retirement from the animated sitcom. But while she’s saying goodbye to her many iconic characters The Simpsons is not. The Simpsons will be recasting the roles of Milhouse and more.
Deadline reports The Simpsons‘ Pamela Hayden, voice Bart’s best friend, the beloved nerd named after President Richard Milhous (no “e”) Nixon—has said “the time has come for me to hang up my microphone.” In a statement, she called working on the “funny, witty, and groundbreaking show” an “honor and a joy.”
Her final performance will come in the special Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes. That ends a truly incredible, decades-long run. Hayden first voiced Milhouse way back in 1989. That debut came in, of all things, a Butterfingers commercial. Hayden’s other notable characters on the series have also included Todd Flanders “sometimes,” Sarah Wiggum, Krusty’s secretary Lois Pennycandy, Lisa’s best friend Janey Powell (though the role was recast in 2022), and Malibu Stacy. Pamela Hayden also played countless minor characters over her many years with the series.
The show honored Hayden’s retirement with a tribute video that it shared across social media. In it, Hayden talked about how The Simpsons fans love to come up to her quoting Milhouse’s line, but that while many see him as a nerd, she admires him for “always getting up” no matter how many times he’s knocked down. “I love the little guy,” she said.
While fans of The Simpsons will be sad to hear one of the show’s best performers is leaving, they can take solace in knowing Hayden’s characters aren’t. The show will reportedly look for replacements. And while we’re sure they’ll find excellent voice actors for all of them, when it comes to one spectacled, blue-haired kid, no one will ever truly replace Hayden as Milhouse.