After several weeks of controversy, Futurama voice actor John DiMaggio has officially signed on to the Hulu revival of the beloved animated sci-fi comedy series, bringing the long and bitter saga known as #Bendergate to a close.
When the revival was announced in February, fans were dismayed when DiMaggio’s name was not among the list of returning original cast members. Rumours emerged that DiMaggio was cut from the production after he demanded better pay for both himself and his co-stars on the new production.
The growing outrage from fans to the launch of a social media campaign called #Bendergate, which urged the network to reinstate DiMaggio to the cast, as well as to offer its employees and talent a fair wage.
Once the news broke that he was back on the Futurama production, DiMaggio thanked the fans for their support, later stating that he felt that he and the rest of the cast deserved to be paid more than what was offered to come back for the show.
In a statement, DiMaggio wrote: “so damn grateful for the love and support of fans and colleagues alike during this whole time (especially my wife, Kate), and I cannot wait to get back to work with my ‘Futurama’ family ... #Bendergate is officially over, so put it on the back of a shelf behind Xmas decorations, or maybe in that kitchen drawer with all of the other crap you put in there ... I’M BACK, BABY!”
