Exclusive: The Voice of Milhouse, Pamela Hayden, on Why It Was Time to Leave ‘The Simpsons’

After 35 years and nearly 700 episodes, one of the core cast members of The Simpsons is leaving. Earlier this week, Pamela Hayden, who voices Milhouse, Jimbo Jones, Rod, (sometimes) Todd and dozens of other characters, announced her retirement from the show, saying, “The time has come for me to hang up my microphone, but how do I say goodbye to The Simpsons? Not easily. It’s been an honor and a joy to have worked on such a funny, witty and groundbreaking show.”

Her final performance will be this Sunday, but before she leaves Springfield for good, I caught her on her way out of town to talk about her earliest memories from The Simpsons, Milhouse’s irrepressible optimism and whether or not he and Lisa belong together.

It was such a surprise to hear that you’re leaving The Simpsons, how did you come to the decision to leave?

It was a fabulous run. An actor having a job for 35 years straight is unheard of. I just have other creative projects I’m working on that I wanted to devote more time to, like filmmaking and writing. We just did a documentary feature that I’m very proud of, which, funny enough, is called Jailhouse to Milhouse. We just completed the festival circuit, which took about a year. We were in 21 festivals and won eight awards. 

Sorry, this is all shameless self-promotion!

Not at all, what’s it about?

It chronicles my journey from before The Simpsons all the way through The Simpsons. It’s about my life from when I was younger. I was in an abusive boarding school and in juvenile jail. My hope is that the film will inspire people who feel like they’ve fallen through the cracks. We also just started working on a short film and I wrote a musical, so I’m not just lying on the couch eating bonbons. 

What’s your earliest memory from The Simpsons? 

I remember the audition for the Butterfinger commercial where Milhouse debuted. My agent called me and said, “We have an audition for an animated TV spot.” It was for “a kid that had a Simpson-like voice” — that’s all the direction I got. So I came up with the voice, did the commercial and thought that was that. 

Then, when the show went to series, my agents called and said, “They want to see you in,” which was very exciting. I went in like, two or three times and the last time my agents said, “They want you to meet some people.” So, I went in thinking I had it, but when I arrived, there were 10 or 12 other people there who I really idolized and respected, like Marcia Wallace. 

I went back down to my car, took a deep breath and said to myself, “Okay, so you don’t have it, but you don’t not have it.” Then I went back upstairs, and the rest is history.

What parts were you auditioning for? Because Milhouse didn’t really exist yet, right?

I don’t think any of them existed except as interstitials in The Tracey Ullman Show. If I recall, they just wanted to see a range of various voices. Then they called me in to do the first show. The first season we just did 13 episodes, and you’re just thrilled to have a series that was picked up. I’d done a ton of animated shows, but I’d never done a prime-time animation show because there wasn’t one. And, for this to go 35 years, I’m just gobsmacked. Isn’t that a great word? Gobsmacked?

It is. So, Milhouse debuted in a Butterfinger commercial. Do you have an opinion about Butterfinger? Do you like them?

No comment. I shouldn’t have said that! I could have gotten a whole case of Butterfinger!

Is there anything that informed the voice of Milhouse?

I really don’t know. It just came from the twisted mind of Pamela Hayden! I’d never done that voice before, and I’ve never used it on another show because that’s hallowed ground. 

Is it safe to say you identify with Milhouse the most out of your characters?

I love that little blue-haired guy with glasses, I do. That being said, I don’t feel like a nerd. The one part of Milhouse that I identify with is that he gets knocked down all the time, and he always gets back up and thinks it’s going to be a brighter day the next day, even if it isn’t. I have that too. I’m very resilient.

Al Jean has said, “Most of the writers on The Simpsons are more like Milhouse than Bart.” I’m curious what you think of that.

That’s hysterical. I think what he’s saying is that they relate to being a nerd more so than the cool kid who was getting in trouble. I relate more to the kid who was getting in trouble. 

What does “Everything’s coming up Milhouse” mean to you?”

It means that he thinks everything is great until he trips on a banana peel. 

Milhouse has, of course, usually been the butt of the joke, was there ever a time where you thought the writers were too hard on him?

No. I think it’s hysterical. 

Do you think he belongs with Lisa?

I don’t think so. I don’t think that’s a match made in heaven. I think her I.Q. is remarkably higher than his. 

Over the past 35 years, how has the recording process changed for you?

Early on, it was all of us in the booth for years and years. I think COVID put an end to that. But I also have funny memories of different celebrities coming to work on the show. Michael Jackson did the show. For that episode, Dan Castellaneta thought the table read started a half hour later than it was scheduled, so we were all just sitting around with Michael Jackson for a half an hour. After the show, people thought he sang in the show but didn’t do the voice, but it was the other way around. He sang a cappella at the table read, but either contractually he couldn’t do it at the record or he got too shy and somebody else, whom he approved, did the singing. 

Were there any other standout celebrities for you?

Liz Taylor voiced Maggie's first word, and she brought her little dog in. She was this big star from yesteryear, and she came in and did that one line, “Daddy,” and she sounded exactly like a little baby. 

Meryl Streep was unbelievable too. Everybody knows that, of course, but in The Simpsons she played a 10-year-old girl who was the bad girl who Bart had a crush on. She didn’t play a 10-year-old girl, she was a 10-year-old girl. She was amazing.

What was your final recording session like?

I wrote a speech for the table read to thank everybody. At one point, I got a little emotional. And, since then, people have been so lovely. (Current showrunner) Matt Selman has reached out to me a lot since I left, and I heard from (former showrunner) Mike Scully the other day. It’s been lovely. 

What will you miss the most from The Simpsons?

I’ll miss the work and the relationships and being around so many talented people. It’s hard to put into words. It’s every person who helps you get through the snow. It’s the engineers. It’s the cast, the writers, the producers. It’s the guy who came in and made homemade bagels one day — maybe not him quite as much as the other people, but snacks are nice.

What would you like to see happen to your characters?

Well, I know they’re recasting them. Certainly you wouldn’t want to kill off a 10-year-old boy. It is a comedy, after all. 

Somebody asked me what advice I’d give to whoever takes over for Milhouse, and I’ll say it’s really not my place to give them any advice. It’s a difficult role to fill the shoes of. Not because “Oh, I’m so irreplaceable,” but because it’s challenging because they need to be able to do the voice, but they also need to be able to put their creative footprint on the role, as they should.