Parting Shot

Kermit the Frog

The Muppets have been entertaining audiences since The 1950s, and now, nearly 70 years later, they’re back and “working without a script” on Muppets Now, a brand-new show on Disney+. It’s a mostly improvised talent show with lots of special guests, not to mention tons of surprises. “We’ve got something for everyone,” Kermit the Frog says about the show. But one familiar thing audiences can expect is the return of Kermit’s on-again, off-again love. “Miss Piggy and I have always had a great working relationship, and on Muppets Now it really shines through. This is the real us, in the here and now, with no filters.” Newsweek reached out to Miss Piggy for her response to working with Kermit again. “Kermit and I have cleared up a lot of things and now we get along better than ever. You might say, we’ve come to an understanding,” she said. Considering Kermit’s popularity, he could do anything, even run for office, but Kermit is committed to Muppets Now. “I’m just happy being your everyday singing, dancing, talking amphibian.”

After such an impressive Hollywood career, what makes Muppets Now different from your other projects?

For the first time ever, the Muppets are working without a script. It is totally spontaneous and improvised.

What sort of things can we expect?

We’ve got something for everyone— cooking, celebrity interviews, scientific breakthroughs, wild game shows, in-depth profiles. And wait until you see the celebrities—rupaul! Aubrey Plaza! Seth Rogen! Danny Trejo!—all doing things you’ve never seen them do before.

What famous roles do you regret turning down?

Hulk. Being green I thought I was a shoo-in for that part, but they decided to go with someone slightly more muscular. And Mark Ruffalo has done a really great job...i also thought I’d get the part of Yoda, but I couldn’t master the dialogue. Backward talking, harder than it looks, it is. Plus, Yoda himself was available, so naturally they went with him. Great job, too, he did.

You’ve always had a way of bringing people together. Have you ever considered running for office?

No. Sure, they say Washington is a swamp, but I still don’t think politics is for frogs. Oh and that’s another great thing about Muppets Now: No politics. Just laughs. —H. Alan Scott

“I’m just happy being your everyday singing, dancing, talking amphibian.”