‘I probably voiced your childhood’: How voice actors are finally getting their due on TikTok

You can go your whole childhood (and even adulthood) absolutely loving an animated character, and never once thinking to look up who their voice actor is, what they look like, or what other work they’ve done—but, thanks to a recent trend on TikTok, that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore.

While a few similar videos have popped up here and there, the whole thing really took off when fans discovered that prolific voice actor Jim Cummings posted a video taking part in a familiar TikTok trend.

You’ve likely seen the “I’m a [insert occupation here], of course I [insert stereotype associated with aforementioned occupation]!” videos taking over your 'for you' page, and—when Jim decided to have a little fun making his own—he blew quite a few minds:

@jimjcummings I probably voiced your childhood ???? #voiceactor #voiceacting #voiceactors #imavoiceactor #disney #jimcummings #winniethepooh #thelionking #lionking #darkwingduck #disneygram #disneyland #disneyworld #voice ♬ original sound - Jim Cummings

As noted in the video, Jim is the voice behind Winnie the Pooh, Darkwing Duck, and some of the singing vocals for The Lion King’s Scar, and the comments are overjoyed at this discovery.

One comment proclaims, “Jim, my friend, you’re THE voice actor,” while another states, “This man carried my entire childhood.” The official Disney TikTok account even chimed in, commenting, “Thank you for sharing your magic with our ears for all these years.”

But Jim isn’t by any means the only beloved voice actor to get in on the fun. E.G. Daily—the voice behind Tommy Pickles, Buttercup, Rudy Tabootie, and Babe the Pig—has created several of her own:

@realegdaily Relaxxxxx Bagheera ???????? Which of these characters do YOU recognize??? #junglebook #junglecubs #bagheera #sing #sing2 #hinoka #fireemblem #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound - EG Daily

E.G. has recorded over six parts of this series thanks to her many voice-acting gigs over the years. On her TikTok account you'll find that she's started giving advice to younger voice actors in her videos, has started rewatching Rugrats as an adult, and even uploaded a video in response to the love she's been getting from TikTok, with the caption, "me reading all your comments about how I made your childhood ????????."

Next on the list, actor Daniel Dae Kim decided to use the trend to show off his Avatar: The Last Airbender chops:

@danieldaekim I’m a #voiceactor! #atla #avatar, #raya and the last dragon #benja, The one and only #johnnygat #saintsrow ♬ original sound - Daniel Dae Kim

Kaitlin Becker of Camp Camp, Blippi, and Dee & Friends in Oz fame joined in on the fun:

@kaitlin.becker I’m a voice actor! ???? #voiceover #voiceactor #humor #meekah #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound - Kaitlin Becker

The legendary Phil LaMar reminded us of his prolific roles in Samurai Jack and Futurama (among his many, many others).

@phillamarr I’m a voiceactor! #voiceactor #throwback #phillamarr #childhoodmemories #static #samuraijack #greenlantern #futurama #cartoon #carshoot #pulpfiction ♬ original sound - Phil LaMarr

And finally, Jenna Davis, the voice actor behind the titular role in 2022's M3GAN, also participated in the trend:

@itsjennadavis IT’S INSANE RIGHT ✨ #voiceactor #voiceover #m3gan #treehousedetectives #infinitytrain #haribo ♬ original sound - Jenna Davis

Heck, even Galaxy Con recently got in on the trend by making TikToks using many of the voice talents they had in attendance, including Tara Strong, Anne Yatco, and Cristina Vee.

It’s lovely to see all of these voice actors step out of the shadows for some long-overdue credit. Which voice actor will join the trend next?

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