Pamela Hayden, Iconic Voice of Milhouse, Ends Her 35-Year 'Simpsons' Journey

NEW YORK (AP) — Pamela Hayden, the longtime voice actor behind Milhouse Van Houten — Bart Simpson’s very uncool friend — is stepping away after 35 years of whining. Hayden, 70, who voiced Milhouse, Jimbo Jones, Rod Flanders, Janey and Malibu Stacy, will sign off from “The Simpsons” on Nov. 24 in a “Treehouse of Horror” episode. “It’s been an honor and a joy to have worked on such a funny, witty, and groundbreaking show,” Hayden said in a statement. “Pamela gave us tons of laughs with Milhouse, the hapless kid with the biggest nose in Springfield. She made Milhouse hilarious and real, and we will miss her,” said “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening. Casting for her characters is planned. Milhouse first appeared in a Butterfinger commercial in 1989 and was named for the former U.S. president Richard Milhous Nixon. Groening said he adopted it “because that was the most unfortunate name a kid could have.” The nearsighted character was often the butt of most jokes and bullied mercilessly by Nelson. In one episode, Bart got Milhouse placed on the America’s Most Wanted list, but in another he traded Bart’s soul to the guy at the comic book store.