Central Park's Kristen Bell Recasting Controversy Explained

Central Park recast the part of Molly in season 2, replacing Kristin Bell with Emmy Raver-Lampman to provide a more accurate portrayal of the biracial character. Central Park was co-created by Josh Gad and Bob's Burgers creators Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith. The show's second season released on Apple TV+ on June 25, 2021.

Narrated by a street performer named Birdie (Josh Gad) and revolving around the fun-loving Tillerman-Hunter family, the show depicts the everyday drama of life’s ups and downs through innovative, animated storytelling and amazing musical numbers. Central Park's Paige Hunter (Kathryn Hahn) and Owen Tillerman (Leslie Odom Jr.) are a biracial couple who live in Manhattan’s Central Park with their son, Cole (Tituss Burgess), and teenage daughter, Molly.

Related: How To Get Apple TV+ (& Which Platforms You Can Watch On)

Originally defending the choice to cast Bell in the role of Molly, the Central Park team later reversed the decision, and Raver-Lampman was brought in to play the role of the Hunter-Tillerman couple’s biracial daughter in an effort to offer a more authentic representation of the character. In June of 2020, it was announced that Bell would no longer voice the part, and she stepped down from the role. In a statement regarding the decision, the show acknowledged that recasting the character was "an opportunity to get representation right." Best known for her leading role in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy and as part of the ensemble cast of the hip-hop musical, Hamilton, Raver-Lampman was then cast to voice Central Park’s Molly for the show’s second season.

In a recent interview with Variety, Raver-Lampman explained why this was so important, especially when it comes to representation in animation. "Growing up, I didn’t see myself a lot in that world. I’m truly honored and grateful for this opportunity to be voicing and bringing a biracial animated character to the screen," said Raver-Lampman. "I think representation is incredibly important because it allows us to walk into a story that is not our own and to see through someone else’s eyes." Episodes of Central Park season 2 are releasing on Apple TV+, giving audiences and fans of the show a chance to see Raver-Lampman portray Molly, and how the recasting decision has provided a deeper level of empathy and understanding to the character's personal struggles in the show.

While some fans were sad to see Bell leave the show after season 1, when the recasting was first announced, co-creator Josh Gad originally stated that Bell would remain in the Central Park cast as a different character in a new, undisclosed role. So far, that hasn’t happened yet in the show's second season. But now that Apple TV+ has announced the renewal of Central Park season 3, it’s possible that Bell could still show up again as a different character in future episodes of the animated musical series.

More: Central Park Season 3: Release Date, Story, Cast Details 

New episodes of Central Park land on Apple TV+ every Friday.

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