Fans were ready to shout, “Shut up and take my money!” when Hulu announced a revival of Futurama, but that initial excitement was quickly tempered upon learning that John DiMaggio would not be returning to voice Bender. Now, the veteran voice actor has shared a social media statement explaining that he turned down an offer out of “self-respect.”
“Just to be clear, I don’t think only I deserve to be paid more. I think the entire cast does,” he wrote on February 15th. “Bender is part of my soul & nothing about this is meant to be disrespectful to the fans or my Futurama family. It’s about self-respect. And honestly, being tired of an industry that’s become far too corporate and takes advantage of artist’s time & talent.”
He also left the door open for a Futurama reunion: “Thanks again for the love everyone. Still hoping for the best.” Read the full statement below.
New episodes of Futurama will premiere on Hulu next year, where the show’s previous seasons are now available to stream. As for DiMaggio, he currently stars as King Zøg in Futurama-creator Matt Groening’s new animated sitcom Disenchantment, and he recently returned as Jake in Adventure Time: Distant Lands. He’s also filming AMC’s upcoming series Interview with a Vampire.
Update: #bendergate pic.twitter.com/tBG7d9hQ3R
— John DiMaggio (@TheJohnDiMaggio) February 16, 2022
