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The Simpsons Star Harry Shearer on Protecting His Voice from AI

The Simpsons star Harry Shearer on if he would consider having AI take over his roles on the Matt Groening-created series when he retires.

Published Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:07:08 -0500

by Tom Chang

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Article Summary

The Simpsons star Harry Shearer says he has considered the future of his many voices if he eventually retires.
Shearer addresses whether AI could take over his Simpsons roles, citing legal talks about protecting voice and likeness.
The Simpsons veteran argues AI hype is driven by fundraising, not proof that Hollywood jobs are vanishing overnight.
While promoting Here Comes J. Edgar, Shearer reflects on AI, creativity, and what comes next for The Simpsons.

As part of the original core cast of The Simpsons, Harry Shearer has spent the better part of his professional life in the cast, playing multiple key roles, including Mr. C. Montgomery Burns, Reverend Tim Lovejoy, Ned Flanders, Wayland Smithers, Principal Seymour Skinner, Kent Brockman, Lenny Leonard, and, formerly, Dr. Julius Hibbert. Over time, the cast has seen some minor changes and recasts as a few of the animated series' family members have passed or retired from their roles, which gives you some idea of how much the Matt Groening-created series has been part of our pop culture. It's not like it hasn't crossed Shearer's mind of a future without him in the series if it ever sees an end, but one possibility some actors like the late James Earl Jones have already given consent that if needed, lend their voice to artificial intelligence (AI) for their signature roles (in Jones' case, Star Wars villain Darth Vader) so fans can keep hearing their voices after they pass on. While promoting his latest musical, Here Comes J. Edgar, a project he's been working on with Tom Leopold for the better part of three decades that tackles FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover, Shearer spoke with Variety if he would entertain the idea or if he prefers someone else take over the role when he decides to retire from the role if The Simpsons continue.

The Simpsons Star Harry Shearer on Potentially Trademarking His Voice and Likeness

As far as what Shearer thinks about the way AI has embedded itself into Hollywood, "Well, look, there is a business right now whose job it is to hype how many people they're going to put out of work: the AI people are doing that just to raise money, because they are so desperate to raise money. LA has had a weak time in the post-COVID period. People who know more about it than I do attribute more of that to the aftermath of two really serious strikes than a few people that are diddling around with AI … and there are always waves in Hollywood. Me personally, I think the times when I can get away with stuff are when the industry has sort of run out of steam on whatever they thought the formula was, and that's in fact this moment. The Marvel moment has passed, and you look at the great movies of the latter part of the 20th century, and they were in the late '60s and early '70s, when everybody was going, 'I don't know what these kids want to see.'"

When it comes to where he is about maybe letting AI take over his voice work in perpetuity in the future on The Simpsons, "I've thought about it, I've talked to legal people about it. There are people in the business now who are very actively involved in legal proceedings to trademark their name and likeness; I think that's a good idea." For more on Shearer's musical, where Hollywood is creatively, and more, you can check out the full interview.

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