Simpsons season 37, in the 2024 episode "Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes."

Per Entertainment Weekly, the role of Jimbo Jones has been given to comedian and actor Mo Collins, who played recurring Pawnee Today host Joan Callamezzo in 19 episodes of the classic NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation. Hayden played Jimbo from seasons 2 through 36 after taking over the role from Tress MacNeille. Collins will now step into the role beginning with season 36, episode 14, which is titled "P.S. I Hate You" and is set to air on April 13. While the role of Milhouse will also be recast, that announcement has not been made at the time of writing.

What This Means For The Simpsons

Mo Collins Has The Right Level Of Experience For The Role

While Mo Collins is not primarily known as a voice actor, she has already performed in a wide variety of animated series that have prepared her to take over the Pamela Hayden Simpsons character. Her animation career began in the early 2000s with Nickelodeon shows such as As Told by Ginger and Invader ZIM, and branched out to include iconic projects such as King of the Hill, Family Guy, and Phineas and Ferb. Her longest-running voice gig so far has been the Bill Burr series F is for Family, in which she has played various roles in 44 different episodes.

Additionally, her long resume of live-action performances sees her well-prepared to take on the iconic role. While Hayden leaves big shoes to fill, Collins has brought her signature comedy stylings to many live-action series which have absurd moments and sometimes border on cartoonish, including Arrested Development, Workaholics, Parks and Recreation. She also showcased her ability to seamlessly step into a wide variety of roles as a long-running cast member on the sketch comedy series Mad TV.

Our Take On The Simpsons' Recast Character

Jimbo Could Be The First Of Many

While characters on The Simpsons have been recast in the past, including the switch that brought Pamela Hayden to the role of Jimbo in the first place, the show has also retired characters, particularly when the voice actors portraying them have died. However, as the long-running show continues to air, it seems likely that recasting will become much more common as its record-breaking run approaches the end of its fourth decade, meaning that the recasting of Jimbo and Milhouse will likely be a test for how well that process works for maintaining audience interest in the show.

The Simpsons season 36 airs on Fox on Sundays at 8/7C.

Source: EW