Simpsons' New Bleeding Gums Murphy Voice Actor Explained By Showrunner
The Simpsons follows the titular family in a satirization of middle America, using the standard nuclear family setup as a springboard for commentary on the human condition. Bleeding Gums Murphy first appeared in the show's sixth episode voiced by Ron Taylor in 1990. He teaches Lisa Simpson to express herself through her music and Taylor played the role again in The Simpsons season 6, where the character dies suddenly, causing Lisa to try to honor his legacy.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Jean talks about recasting the role after Taylor's death in 2002, with Kevin Michael Richardson taking over. He talks about how, in the latest episode, Murphy shares a scene with Dr. Hibbert, also voiced by Richardson, with the two characters implied to be long-lost siblings. Jean explains that the writers weren't trying to point out the characters' implied backstory through this coincidence, saying the characters are human beings in their world that don't know they're being voiced. Read the excerpt below:
SR: I thought it was really nicely timed that we recently had a Bleeding Gums Murphy episode, which emphasizes Lisa's love of the sax. Someone on Screen Rant wrote about this, but Kevin Michael Richardson voices Bleeding Gums Murphy -
Al Jean: Yes, he does, after the late Ron Taylor passed.
SR: And he also voices Dr. Hibbert, his long lost brother, who shared a scene with him. Was that an intentional choice?
Al Jean: The only thing was people said we should have there be a comment that they're voiced by the same actor. But in the show, they're human beings. [laughs] They don't know who voices them.
The Simpsons is in a unique place where it can draw on its own rich history to find more avenues for storytelling, mixing up long-established characters along the way. With CODA recently winning the Oscar for Best Picture, it seems that the visibility of deaf people in media is on the rise, allowing more points of view to be shared in art. With no end in sight for The Simpsons, Jean and his team will have to keep finding new ways to explore that world, and luckily have the history to prove they can do it.