Harry Shearer rejoins the Simpsons | U-turn on his 'I quit' vow

Harry Shearer rejoins the Simpsons

U-turn on his 'I quit' vow

Harry Shearer has done a U-turn on his decision to quit The Simpsons.

In May, the actor announced that he was leaving the show after 26 years when his contract negotiations broke down.

But now it has been confirmed that he is returning to the fold for the forthcoming 27th and 28th seasons.

In an official statement, broadcaster Fox said they were 'proud to confirm that each and every member of the iconic series' voice cast will be returning in the roles they've brought to life since the show's beginnings as a series of animated shorts nearly 30 years ago'.

Shearer voices Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Dr. Hibbert, Lenny Leonard, Kent Brockman – as well as several more occasional characters

The battle over the contract negotiations became public when 71-year-old Shearer tweeted a message he was sent from the lawyer of executive producer James L. Brooks' saying: 'Show will go on, Harry will not be part of it, wish him the best.'

He claimed the dispute was over his right to 'do other work' outside of the Simpsons.

The cast of The Simpsons are all believed to be on around $300,000 per episode, which was cut from $400,000 in 2011 when Fox threatened to cancel the series unless production costs were reduced.

In its statement, Fox credited the fact that every main cast member – Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria And Harry Shearer – has won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance at some point in the show's run.

The recent two-season order will bring the number of Simpsons episodes to 625, making it the longest-running scripted show on primetime television.

Published: 7 Jul 2015

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