Muppets, puppeteer in war of words

The war of words rages on, but none of them are coming from the little green frog.

The Muppets Studio released a statement Monday saying it parted ways with longtime Kermit the Frog puppeteer Steve Whitmirebecause of “concerns about Steve’s repeated unacceptable business conduct over a period of many years.”

“The decision to part ways was a difficult one which was made in consultation with the Henson family and has their full support.”

Whitmire had been performing with the Muppets since 1978 and took on the role of Kermit after the untimely death of Muppets creator Jim Henson in 1990.

In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter Monday, Whitmire acknowledged that his opinionated communication style was unaccept- able for Disney.

“They felt I had been ‘disrespectful’ in being outspoken on character issues with the small group of top creative people during the ABC series ( The Muppets),” Whitmire told THR.

The Henson family chose Whitmire to replace Jim Henson as Kermit in 1990, but it has no current involvement with the Muppets. Disney purchased Kermit and the gang from the Jim Henson Co. in 2004 in a deal valued at $90 million (U.S.).

In an interview with the New York Times, Lisa Henson, president of Jim Henson Co. and Jim Henson’s daughter, said Whitmire “played brinkmanship very aggressively in contract negotiations” and “blackballed young performers.”

Matt Vogel will debut as the new Kermit the Frog on this week’s Muppet Thought of the Week.