John DiMaggio Confirms He Will Remain The Voice Of Bender

Last month Hulu made the surprise announcement that they had just uncancelled Futurama to make 20 new episodes (most likely to be distributed as two 10-episode seasons). They said 87.5% of the cast was guaranteed to come back and listed Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman, but not John DiMaggio.

The Internet panicked and social media flooded itself with “I won’t watch Futurama without the original Bender” statements. No one seemed to remember the last time this happened, when Comedy Central picked up the show and NONE of the cast members were listed as returning. The reason was because negotiations over their salaries were still ongoing, and they were all confirmed after about a month. It was a similar situation here.

And as of now, it’s been resolved. Yesterday, DiMaggio tweeted out three simple words:

I’M BACK, BABY!

— John DiMaggio (@TheJohnDiMaggio) March 1, 2022

Fans knew immediately what he meant, but he elaborated later for the press: “I’M BACK, BABY! So damn grateful for the love and support of fans and colleagues alike during this whole time (especially my wife, Kate), and I cannot wait to get back to work with my ‘Futurama’ family. #Bendergate is officially over, so put it on the back of a shelf behind Xmas decorations, or maybe in that kitchen drawer with all of the other crap you put in there like old unusable crazy glue, or maybe even put it in a jar you save farts in. Whatever floats your boat, I don’t care, you get the picture. I’M BACK, BABY! BITE MY SHINY METAL ASS!”

So today’s moral is: the next time this happens, don’t immediately assume the worst. Stalling for a better deal is more common in Hollywood than the media would lead you to believe. 20th Century and Rough Draft Studios are currently drawing and coloring the next season of Futurama, which will hit Hulu sometime in 2023.