Family Guy voice actor Mike Henry has announced that he is to step down from the role of Cleveland Brown.
The 54-year-old, who has voiced the character for the last 20 years, reached the decision amid heightened awareness of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has prompted the entertainment industry to re-evaluate the appropriateness of its content.
In a statement on Twitter, Henry wrote: "It's been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role."
The news was met with a mixed reaction from Henry's followers, with one writing: "Look I'm black and a voice actor and I don't think this is necessary. I appreciate the sentiment behind it but I don't think you should do this. This is your most iconic role! That's the beauty of voice acting, the actor's appearance (including skin colour) does not matter.
"Now look if you feel like it's the right thing to do then by all means. I just don't want voice actors to feel guilty for playing a character that doesn't resonate with their own race/belief/sexual orientation etc. As long as you portray those characters respectfully, then it's ok."
Henry also lends his voice to several other characters on the long-running comedy, including the Hispanic maid Consuela, and also works on American Dad and The Orville.
Family Guy have yet to confirm whether the role will be recast, although creator Seth MacFarlane endorsed Henry's statement with a retweet.
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