A beloved cast member of The Simpsons is stepping down after more than three decades on the hit series.
Pamela Hayden is officially retiring from The Simpsons after 35 years of portraying an iconic character from the animated Fox series.
The actress, 70, notably played Milhouse Van Houten, one of Bart Simpson’s friends. She also voiced a variety of other characters during her time on the show, including Jimbo Jones and Chief Wiggum’s wife, Sarah Wiggum.
In a statement per TermHayden said, “It’s time for me to hang up my mic, but how do I say goodbye to The Simpsons?… Not easy.”
“It was an honor and a pleasure to have worked on such a funny, witty and groundbreaking show, and to give Milhouse (and Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, Janey, Malibu Stacy and many others) a voice.”
Pamela continued, “Salutes to everyone who made this amazing ride I’ve been on possible. Thank you for 35 years!!’
‘Be healthy and happy. My best to you all. PS I will always have a special place in my heart for that blue-haired ten-year-old boy with glasses.’
Pamela Hayden, 70, is officially retiring from The Simpsons after 35 years of portraying an iconic character from the animated Fox series; seen in 2023 in LA
Hayden began her time on the long-running series in 1989 – and her final appearance will be in an episode airing on November 24 titled Treehouse Of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes.
Executive producer, James L. Brooks, reflected on Pamela’s time on the series during the announcement of her retirement.
He said she “has been a model for having a great spirit for every cast she has been a part of.”
Matt Groening – who created the Fox show – also said: ‘Bart needed someone to talk to in the school cafeteria.’
“We called him Milhouse because that was the most unfortunate name a child could have.”
Groening went on to say, “Pamela gave us a lot of laughs with Milhouse, the unfortunate child with the biggest nose in Springfield. She made Milhouse hilarious and real, and we will miss her.”
And Matt Selman – the showrunner and executive producer – added that Haydens’ talent, joy and love for her characters added a magic to The Simpsons. Everything is coming Pamela!’
According to her IMDB pageHayden voiced characters on The Simpsons for a whopping 694 episodes.
The actress notably played Milhouse Van Houten – one of Bart Simpson’s friends; Milhouse character seen on far right above
In a statement, Hayden said, per Deadline: “It’s time for me to hang up my mic, but how do I say goodbye to The Simpsons?… Not easy.”
Social media users jumped to X when they heard the news of Pamela leaving the series, and shared their thoughts.
One fan wrote: “So this is what it feels like when pigeons cry,” while another added: “Wow! I was completely overwhelmed! I wish Pamela Hayden all the best! Thank you for making Milhouse great.”
“She has voiced iconic characters from The Simpsons. She did a great job portraying Milhouse. Happy retirement Pamela. Thank you for everything you did for The Simpsons,” one person wrote.
Another wrote: ‘Thank you Pamela for bringing one of the greatest sidekicks in TV history to life! My wife and I say, “Everything is coming Milhouse!” weekly! Enjoy your retirement, you will be missed.”
“I still use ‘everything is coming Milhouse’ when something is going well for me,” one X user shared.
Another also added: ‘Wow! I was completely overwhelmed! I wish her all the best!’
Groening went on to say, “Pamela gave us a lot of laughs with Milhouse, the unfortunate child with the biggest nose in Springfield. She made Milhouse hilarious and real, and we will miss her’; seen in February in West Hollywood
Social media users jumped to X when they heard the news of Pamela leaving the series, and shared their thoughts
One fan wrote: “So this is what it feels like when pigeons cry,” while another added: “Wow! I was completely overwhelmed! I wish Pamela Hayden all the best! Thank you for making Milhouse great’
Another also added: ‘Wow! I was completely overwhelmed! I wish her all the best!’
The Simpsons is currently airing its 36th season on Fox, but season 37 has yet to be confirmed.
The 36th season premiere a few months earlier in September was dubbed the “series finale” – and was hosted by former Simpsons writer Conan O’Brien.
The episode was titled Bart’s Birthday and executive producer Matt Selman narrated it People at the time the plot was AI generated.
Recalling the promotion of Season 35, he explained that a “question you always get in the press is: What would you do for a final episode of the show?”
“I always felt like there was no right answer to that question because the show was never meant to end.”
The Simpsons is currently airing its 36th season on Fox, but season 37 has yet to be confirmed
“It was meant to go on forever. It was meant to make fun of the idea of the final episodes and everything we do. Each episode is both a first and last episode of the show,” Matt added.
He also explained that it was “not a finale, but a playful experiment with silliness” which Selman felt “really worked beautifully.”
The producer later said, “You want every episode to be one big transformative cinematic journey.”
“And of course, no rational family can actually make it through 800 of those trips and not age while 35 years have passed.”