#Bendergate has resolved, with voice actor John DiMaggio reaching a deal which will bring his shiny metal ass back to the recording booth for the new Futurama episodes on Hulu. The hashtag was coined when fans noticed DiMaggio, who voices deeply immoral robot Bender on the series, was missing from the cast roster in the initial announcement a few weeks ago.
The voice actor shared in a statement:
“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!”
While the enthusiastic reaction is undoubtedly Bender-approved, DiMaggio’s approach to the deal was carefully considered. In a mid-February update on Twitter, he said, “I don’t think that only I deserve to be paid more. I think the entire cast does. Negotiations are a natural part of working in show business.” He added that not accepting the initial offer was “about self-respect” in an industry that “takes advantage of [artists’] time and talent.”
The agreement for an undisclosed pay bump will see DiMaggio reunite with co-stars Billy West (Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan), Katey Sagal (Turanga Leela), Lauren Tom (Amy Wong), Phil LaMarr (Hermes Conrad), Maurice LaMarch (Kif Kroker), Tress MacNeille (“Mom”) and David Herman (Scruffy).
“From the moment John DiMaggio auditioned last century, we knew we had our Bender,” said series creator Matt Groening. “So congrats to everyone at Futurama. We’re all back, baby!”
Executive producer David X. Cohen added, “John DiMaggio may be a great robot, but he’s also a great human being. Not many people or machines can say that. For the fourth time, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thrill to be back with our entire original cast and the phenomenal animators of Rough Draft Studios!”
Hulu has ordered 20 episodes of Futurama‘s second return from the black hole of cancellation. The 20th Television Animation production animated by Rough Draft and overseen by Groening and Cohen is expected to blast off in 2023.
Bender Bending Rodriguez is a vice-prone, egocentric and antisocial robot who is the co-worker, roommate and best friend of Futurama protagonist Phillip J. Fry — a 25-year-old pizza delivery boy who wakes up 1,000 years in the future after accidentally falling into a cryogenic chamber on New Year’s Eve 2000. Together with the rest of the Planet Express delivery crew, Bender gets into intergalactic scraps, relationship dramedy and the occasional heartfelt moment of sappy emotional junk — sometimes, he even helps save the day.
DiMaggio won an Annie Award for his work on Futurama in 2001. In addition to Bender, some of his best-known roles include Jake the Dog on Adventure Time, Dr. Drakken on Kim Possible, The Scotsman on Samurai Jack, Schnitzel on Chowder and King Zøg on Groening’s Disenchantment, to name a few. He is also a prolific voice-over actor for video games and has worked on animated features and guest-starred on numerous live-action programs.
