Cleveland Brown

Lore & Background

Cleveland is usually depicted as exceedingly patient and sweet-natured, and only on rare occasions has he been known to lose his temper and resort to violence. However, Cleveland gets visibly annoyed with racist behavior. He often acts as the voice of caution when other characters hatch harebrained schemes. Cleveland's speech is slow, almost elongated. Various flashbacks give conflicting histories of his speech patterns. A flashback in the episode "Death Lives" shows that Peter Griffin met Cleveland in the 1970s, when Cleveland already spoke in the slow manner that he is known for. Likewise, in the premiere of his spin-off, it is revealed that Cleveland talked in a slow manner when he was in high school. In the fourth season episode "Blind Ambition", an out-of-continuity flashback depicts Cleveland as a fast-talking auctioneer when a totem pole falls over onto his head, resulting in a slower rate of speech. He was conceived during the seventh-inning stretch of a Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) game. One of the running gags throughout the series is that Peter's shenanigans frequently destroy the front wall of Cleveland's house, revealing him in the bathtub. He then exclaims: "No, no, no, no, no, no!!!!!" as the upstairs floor tilts and the tub crashes to the ground and shatters. In the pilot of his spin-off, this gag was the last straw that convinced Cleveland to leave Quahog. However, even several states away, the Griffins' antics are still seen to cause this event, such as when debris from the missile that Brian, Stewie, Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase destroy happens to fall right on Cleveland's new house in the episode "Spies Reminiscent of Us". In "Brian's Got a Brand New Bag", Cleveland's now-unoccupied house is destroyed when Peter watches the movie Road House and beats up Brian, which results in a car crashing into the house, and the empty bathtub crashes to the ground. Afterward, Peter says "Oh, that's right. Cleveland moved." In the Cleveland Show episode "Gone with the Wind", the same running gag affects his former wife Loretta Brown, and she breaks her neck on the ground, causing her death.

Reader's Guide

Mike Henry was the original voice of Cleveland Brown, and also continues to voice John Herbert and Bruce Straight, as well as some minor recurring characters like the Greased-Up Deaf Guy. Henry met MacFarlane at the Rhode Island School of Design and kept in touch with him after they graduated. A few years later, MacFarlane contacted him about being part of the show; he agreed and came on as both a writer and voice actor. Henry based Cleveland's voice on one of his basketball partners in Virginia. During the show's first four seasons, he was credited as a guest star, but beginning with season five's "Prick Up Your Ears", he has been credited as a main cast member. On June 26, 2020, amidst racial tensions in the United States due to the police murder of George Floyd, Henry, who is white, announced on Twitter that he was stepping down from voicing the character after twenty-one years, stating "persons of color should play characters of color." Actor Wendell Pierce launched a campaign to become Henry's replacement afterward. On September 25, 2020, it was announced that Arif Zahir would take over as Cleveland, starting in the show's 20th season. Zahir had previously gained Internet popularity with voice impressions of the character. Speaking to Henry, who was to continue doing other voices for the show, Zahir, who was a longtime fan of both the character and the show, said: "...you created something truly special, and I promise I will do my absolute best to honor your legacy." To the fans he said, "I promise not to let you down."

Did You Know?

• In the Cleveland Show episode "Gone with the Wind", the bathtub running gag causes Loretta Brown's death when she breaks her neck on the ground.
• Cleveland replaces Mort Goldman in the opening credits soon after the episode "He's Bla-ack!" on-wards.