Kristen Bell Steps Down From Voicing Biracial Character on Apple TV+’s ‘Central Park’

Actress Kristen Bell announced she will be stepping down from her role as ‘Molly’ on animated series Central Park after the first season.

‘This is a time to acknowledge our acts of complicity. Here is one of mine. Playing the character of Molly on Central Park shows a lack of awareness of my pervasive privilege,’ she wrote via Instagram on Wednesday.

Kristen came forward a few hours after Jenny Slate announced she was leaving animated series Big Mouth for similar reasons.

“Casting a mixed-race character with a white actress undermines the specificity of the mixed-race and Black American experience. It was wrong and we, on the Central Park team, are pledging to make it right.” Kristen added. “I am happy to relinquish this role to someone who can give a much more accurate portrayal and I will commit to learning, growing, and doing my part for equality and inclusion.”

The show’s creative team called the re-casting of the voice of Molly “an opportunity to get representation right – to cast a Black or mixed-race actress and give Molly a voice that resonates with all of the nuance and experiences of the character as we’ve drawn her.”

Loren Brouchard, co-creator of the series faced criticism back in January after casting Bell as a biracial character. Loren took to twitter and apologized on behalf of the Central Park team.

Kristen also mentioned in her statement on Instagram, that she is taking the time to keep “learning, growing, and doing my part for equality and inclusion.”

Kristen Bell is on the right path to finding her own “voice.”  For more updates on the re-casting of “Molly” and what to expect in future episodes, follow centralparkofficial.