#Kristen Bell exits ‘Central Park,’ will be replaced by black actress

By Michael Ausiello, TV Line

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Kristen Bell (right) voiced the character of Molly (left) on “Central Park.”
Everett Collection

Kristen Bell will not return as the voice of “Central Park‘s” mixed race Molly, should Apple TV renew the animated musical comedy for a second season.

The animated series’ producing team of Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad, Nora Smith, Halstead Sullivan and Sanjay Shah made the announcement on Wednesday, saying in a statement, “Kristen Bell is an extraordinarily talented actress who joined the cast of ‘Central Park’ from nearly the first day of the show’s development — before there was even a character for her to play — and she has since delivered a funny, heartfelt, and beautiful performance. But after reflection, Kristen, along with the entire creative team, recognizes that the casting of the character of Molly is an opportunity to get representation right — to cast a Black or mixed race actress and give Molly a voice that resonates with all of the nuance and experiences of the character as we’ve drawn her. Kristen will continue to be a part of the heart of the show in a new role but we will find a new actress to lend her voice to Molly. We profoundly regret that we might have contributed to anyone’s feeling of exclusion or erasure.

“Black people and people of color have worked and will continue to work on ‘Central Park’ but we can do better, they added. “We’re committed to creating opportunities for people of color and Black people in all roles, on all our projects – behind the mic, in the writers room, in production, and in post-production. Animation will be stronger for having as many voices, experiences, and perspectives as we can possibly bring into the industry. Our shop and our show will be better for respecting the nuances and complexity around the issue of representation and trying to get it right.”