Teen Titans Go! Voice Actor Says He Was Fired After Parkinson’s Diagnosis
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Greg Cipes, the voice of Beast Boy in the animated series Teen Titans Go!, revealed on social media that he was fired one day after announcing his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
Cipes wrote on Instagram that he was dismissed from Cartoon Network following his disclosure: “Warner Bros. fired me on Valentine’s Day, right after I publicly announced I had Parkinson’s.”
In another message, he added: “It feels like a death that only the fans can bring me back from.”
Cipes had been voicing the character since 2013, and before that, he played the same role in Teen Titans, which ended after five seasons.
Sources close to the series say the creators wanted to cast another voice actor due to “creative differences,” and that the decision was unrelated to Cipes’ illness. These sources claim the network even offered him another role, which he had already completed recording.
Cipes’ voice acting credits include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), where he voiced Michelangelo, Kevin Levin in Ben 10, Iron Fist in Ultimate Spider-Man, and many others.
In April, Cipes had expressed gratitude to Warner Bros., writing: “I’m feeling really good!”
Man, this is heartbreaking. Greg Cipes is Beast Boy—I’ve been listening to him since the original 2003 show. If they really let him go right after he opened up about his Parkinson’s, that is a cold move, even for a huge studio. “Creative differences” after 11 years on the same show sounds like a total excuse. I really hope the fans get loud about this because you can’t just replace a voice that iconic, especially when the actor is going through something so personal. Stay strong, Greg.