"Family Guy" Casts YouTube Star Arif Zahir To Voice Cleveland Brown

"Family Guy" has cast a new voice to play Cleveland Brown.

BYCole Blake
Earl Gibson III / Getty Images

Family Guy showrunners have officially cast YouTuber Arif Zahir to fill the role of Cleveland Brown going forward.

Earl Gibson III / Getty Images

“I’m eternally grateful to have received this once in a lifetime opportunity,” Zahir told Deadline. “When I heard that Mike Henry was stepping down from the role of Cleveland Brown – my favorite cartoon character of all time – I was shocked and saddened, assuming we’d never see him again. When I learned I would get to take over the role? Overabundant gratitude. To Mike, you created something truly special and I promise I will do my absolute best to honor your legacy.”

Zahir has gained on following on YouTube for his wide range of impressions which include Cleveland Brown, Barrack Obama, Donald Trump, Stewie Griffin, 21 Savage, and more.

Mike Henry, who voiced Brown for the entirety of the show's first 17 seasons, stepped down from the role earlier this year. Henry announced his decision during the viral conversation regarding race and casting in the animation community, earlier this year.

“I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color,” he said at the time.

Season 18 of Family Guy premieres Sunday at 9:30 PM on Fox. The show has been renewed through the 20th season.

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About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.