By Zach Johnson
Let’s get loud!
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder will launch with plenty of star power when the revival of The Proud Family, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, debuts exclusively on Disney+ in 2022. To mark the special occasion, Disney+ just announced dozens of celebrities who will guest star in future episodes of the highly anticipated animated series.
The guest-starring voice cast will feature some of the entertainment industry’s biggest names, including Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Chance the Rapper, Normani, Leslie Odom Jr., Tiffany Haddish, Lena Waithe, Anthony Anderson, Gabrielle Union, Debbie Allen, James Pickens Jr., Courtney B. Vance, Jane Lynch, Marsai Martin, Jaden Smith, Glynn Turman, Lamorne Morris, Brenda Song, Tina Knowles, Eva Longoria, Holly Robinson Peete, Al Roker, Bretman Rock, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, and Dominique Dawes, with more to be revealed.
Recurring stars include Asante Blackk as Penny’s boyfriend, Kareem, and Artist “A Boogie” Dubose as Maya’s gamer brother, Francis “KG” Leibowitz-Jenkins. Raquel Lee Bolleau reprises her role as Nubia Gross, and Marcus T. Paulk is back as Penny’s classmate, Myron.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Proud Family, a few stars from the revival are sharing what the iconic original series meant to them. Normani calls her own grandmother Suga Mama, she says, “because it’s literally what my household looked like.” Similarly, Blackk shares, “The different characters and personalities in the show reflected what was going on in my home.” Johnson says the original animated series “was a huge part of my childhood, and I hold that very dear to my heart.” Keke Palmer adds, “Even though it was on a kids network, it still had the right amount of edge for it to be accessible to everybody.”
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder will pick up the story of its central character, Penny Proud, and feature her madcap family and her loyal crew. Cast members reprising their voice roles from the original series include Kyla Pratt as Penny Proud, Tommy Davidson as Oscar Proud, Paula Jai Parker as Trudy Proud, JoMarie Payton as Suga Mama, Cedric the Entertainer as Uncle Bobby, Carlos Mencia as Felix Boulevardez, Maria Canals-Barrera as Sunset Boulevardez, Alvaro Gutierrez as Papi, Karen Malina White as Dijonay Jones, Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey Howzer, and Alisa Reyes as LaCienega Boulevardez. New recurring voice actors include Palmer as Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins, Billy Porter as Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins, Zachary Quinto as Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins, and EJ Johnson as Michael Collins.
Currently in production at Disney Television Animation, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder is executive produced by Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar, both of whom led the original series. Calvin Brown, Jr. serves as the animated series’ co-executive producer and story editor, while Jan Hirota is the producer and Eastwood Wong is the art director. All seasons of The Proud Family, which debuted on Disney Channel in 2001, are currently available on Disney+. September 15, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of the popular series.
