Ayo Edebiri Set To Replace Jenny Slate as Missy From ‘Big Mouth’
Writer and comedian, Ayo Edebiri, is replacing Jenny Slate as Missy on Netflix’s Big Mouth.
Netflix announced on Friday that Ayo Edebiri will now be voicing Missy from Big Mouth onward. Missy’s previous voice actress, Slate, announced in June that she would no longer be voicing Missy because she didn’t feel comfortable playing the role of a Black character when she isn’t Black.
She wasn’t the only voice actress to step down from playing a character of the opposite race. Other stars include Kristen Bell no longer playing Molly in Central Park, and Mike Henry resigning from playing Cleveland in both Family Guy and The Cleveland Show. Such changes are to give Black actors the right to voice animated Black characters.
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Before Edebiri was cast, she was hired to write Big Mouth’s fifth season.
Congratulations!! Can’t wait to hear you in the next season. pic.twitter.com/qmMNohZanb
— Dave The Movie Guy (@DaveTheMovieGu2) August 28, 2020
The comedian is known for her writing of Sunnyside and It was Sometimes Like This. Edebiri found her passion for writing and performing in the eighth grade after she participated in a drama class.
Welcome to the Big Mouth family, @ayoedebiri 💛🥳 https://t.co/RvoJ4ZVzth
— Big Mouth (@bigmouth) August 28, 2020
Big Mouth, co-created by Goldberg, follows a group of middle schoolers as they undergo the trials and adversities of puberty, with the help of their hormones. The character Missy is biracial, being the daughter of an Afro-American father and Caucasian mother.
This is a big step in the right direction and will set a great example for many animated shows and movies. We are so excited to see what Edebiri will bring to the show.
