Aw, this is bad news. It’s being reported that Steve Whitmire has left The Muppets, after nearly 40 years.

The news has been broken by Muppet Mindset, and follows The Muppets’ absence from our screens since their ABC show was cancelled last year. Whitmire has been part of the Muppets ensemble since 1978, and following the sudden death of Jim Henson in 1990, he took over the role of Kermit The Frog. He’s been in charge of Kermit for 27 years, and it’s been revealed that Matt Vogel will be taking over the character.

Vogel is a long-standing Muppet performer too. It’s unclear at this stage just why Whitmire left The Muppets, but his loss is an immense one.

As far as we know, there are no fresh screen projects in the offing for The Muppets, although there were rumours of a Broadway show a year or two back. They will be back in some form, of course, but following the relative box office disappointment of their last movie, Muppets Most Wanted, and the cancellation of their recent TV show after one season, they may be taking a bit of a rest. We wish Mr Whitmire all the best in whatever he chooses to do next.