Does Dale Have A New Voice Actor

You know that moment when you’re watching your comfort show, and a character opens their mouth, but the voice that comes out sounds... off? Like your favorite barista suddenly started speaking with a heavy French accent while serving your usual order. That’s exactly what happened recently for fans of the classic cartoon King of the Hill—specifically, everyone’s favorite propane-and-propane-accessories salesman, Dale Gribble. The internet lost its collective mind, whispering in dark corners of Reddit: “Does Dale have a new voice actor?” Well, grab your tinfoil hat and settle in.

The Conspiracy You Didn’t Know You Needed

Spoiler alert: yes, Dale Gribble does have a new voice actor, but not for the reason you might think. The original voice, the legendary Toby Huss, stepped away from the microphone when the show was revived by Hulu (officially called King of the Hill for a new season). No, he didn’t get abducted by aliens—though Dale would absolutely believe that. Huss is still alive, still acting, and still rocking that nasally, paranoid drawl. But the producers decided to recast the role for the reboot, and they picked Johnny Hardwick, the original writer and co-producer of the show.

Wait, hold up—Johnny Hardwick also voiced Dale in the original run, but only ever as a fill-in or for special episodes? Actually, no. Here’s the real plot twist you didn’t see coming: Johnny Hardwick has always been the primary voice of Dale Gribble since the show’s debut in 1997. Yes, you read that right. Toby Huss? He only voiced Dale in the unaired pilot episode. For the actual series, it was Hardwick—the man who also wrote many of Dale’s most ridiculous lines about government lizards and pocket sand—who brought the character to life. The internet is a weird place where fake news runs faster than a scared squirrel.

Wait, So Who’s The New Guy?

If Hardwick was always the voice, then why are we even having this conversation? Because in 2023, when Hulu announced the reboot, they also confirmed that Johnny Hardwick would not return due to creative differences. He passed the microphone to a newcomer named Ben Schwartz. Yes, that Ben Schwartz—the hyper-energetic guy from Parks and Rec and voice of Sonic the Hedgehog. Imagine Dale Gribble, but he talks like he just chugged three Red Bulls and discovered a new alien conspiracy on TikTok.

Now, Schwartz isn’t trying to copy Hardwick’s iconic gravelly monotone. Instead, he’s giving Dale a slightly younger, more manic energy. Early reviews from leaked audio clips are… mixed. One fan described it as “Dale if he snorted pixie dust and read QAnon forums while on a treadmill.” Pretty accurate, honestly. But before you start sharpening your pitchforks, remember: voice acting is hard, and replacing a legend is harder than finding a decent conspiracy theory in 2023.

The Bizarre History Of Dale’s Voice

Let’s take a quick detour into the weird part of this story. The original voice actor for Dale Gribble, in that one single pilot that never aired, was actually Daniel Stern—the guy from Home Alone and The Wonder Years. Imagine Dale talking in the same nervous, lovable tone as Marv the Wet Bandit. It would have been a very different show. Stern quit because he hated the long hours, and the role went to Toby Huss, who then handed it off to Hardwick after a single recording session because Huss thought the character was “too weird.” Irony, thy name is animation history.

And here’s a truly surprising fact: Johnny Hardwick had never done a voice for a cartoon before Dale. He was a writer, not an actor. He just walked into the booth one day to demonstrate how he heard the lines, and the producers said, “You’re hired.” He went on to voice Dale for 13 seasons, plus a direct-to-video movie, and became the definitive voice of the pocket-sand king. So when Hardwick left, the producers didn’t just lose a voice—they lost the guy who invented the character’s vocal quirks.

What Does This Mean For The Reboot?

Honestly, it means you should probably lower your expectations a little. Not because Ben Schwartz is bad—he’s great at his job. But Dale Gribble is one of those rare characters where the voice is 50% of the joke. Without the exact pitch, the obsessive over-the-top paranoia might just sound like regular weirdness. Plus, the new Dale might actually sound smarter now, which defeats the entire purpose of a man who once tried to pay his taxes with raccoon pelts.

Still, don’t panic too much. Remember when they recast Homer Simpson for a single episode, and no one noticed? Or when Miss Piggy changed voice actors and the whole nation held a funeral for muppetry? Fans adapt. And if Ben Schwartz can channel just 20% of Dale’s “I am a master of disguise and also a crackhead” energy, we’ll survive. Worst case scenario: you can always mute the TV and imagine Rusty Shackleford delivering the lines in your head.

The Final Verdict (For Now)

So, does Dale Gribble have a new voice actor? Yes, he does, but only for the rebooted episodes, and he’s played by Ben Schwartz. The original voice actor from the main series, Johnny Hardwick, walked away to chase other projects and maybe a few UFOs. And the bizarre truth is that the original original voice actor, Daniel Stern, was a goofy thief from Home Alone who couldn’t commit. It’s a beautiful, confusing mess—exactly the kind of conspiracy Dale himself would spend four hours explaining on a message board.

Just remember: if you hear Dale’s voice and it sounds a little too peppy, blame the raccoons. Or the government. They’re probably in on it anyway.