Background
Hazbin Hotel is an upcoming series created by animator Vivienne Medrano. The plot of the show focuses on the Princess of Hell, Charlie Morningstar, rehabilitating sinners into good souls through her rehab hotel. The pilot was released in 2019 and was a massive hit. A web series spinoff called Helluva Boss was released in 2020 and is still ongoing.
Other characters in the main cast include: Vaggie (Charlie's girlfriend), Alastor (mischievous radio demon), and Angel Dust (gay spider hooker). The fandom adores both Alastor and Angel; they are the most popular characters. Angel recieved a boost in popularity with the release of the Addict music video, which hints at his troubled life.
The voice actors of the pilot are also beloved by the fandom. The Hunicast were livestreams hosted by Ashley Nichols, an animator that worked on the show. They would feature some of the voice actors talking and goofing around on stream, allowing fans to become more attached to them. Michael Kovach, VA of Angel, was a staple of the Hunicast and very outgoing with fans. He was a favorite, along with Ed Bosco (VA of Alastor).
For two years, all fans had was the Hazbin pilot, music video, and these livestreams. Even though there were some warnings that the final show will be different in many ways, everyone wasn't too concerned at the time. But of course, the day of reckoning eventually came.
And All Hell Breaks Loose
In late December, some voice actors released announcements confirming that they were let go of the project and would not be in the final show. While fans were sad that the VAs for Nifty, Cherri Bomb, the singing VAs of Charlie and Alastor were gone, none of the announcements hit as hard as Kovach's.
Angel and Kovach were extremely beloved by the fans and many were so sad and angry that this happened. The firing was seen as a betrayal by Medrano, and there was speculation that her having Broadway stars and actors (especially Norman Reedus) in Helluva Boss went to her head and that she only wanted that level of star power in her show. Or that she ditched her friends that helped her once she gained her success.
She really did shitcan them because she wanted celebrities, huh?
This was inevitable once she sold it off to a corporation
While many were livid, others defended Medrano, saying that the VAs were not part of the SAG AFTRA union and therefore could not be legally hired. Kovach did elaborate that he had tried to gain membership but was denied. But people pointed out that the singing VA of Alastor had union membership but was nonetheless let go.
Tell me again why we shouldn't destroy unions?
Here's Viv's tweet. Damage control?
Kovach said he would have been able to join if he was asked to return
The VAs got too deep and now everyone is mourning the loss
A woman that worked in the VA industry claimed that every actor was let go and her source was apparently a friend that worked on Hazbin. This was debunked, her original Twitter thread deleted, and her reputation took a hit. There were fears that Bosco would have been recast but he was not fired.
Bento Box Entertainment was confirmed as the company animating the show, which sparked more controversy since this company is known for stiff, generic adult animation and would likely be a downgrade from the pilot.
Dear god it will be a miracle if this company can make an aesthetically pleasing cartoon
Bento Box is one of the shittiest companies
Aftermath
It's been months later and people have calmed down but are still saddened over it. The new actors have not been announced yet. But their spirits have been kept high with more Hazbin news (such as official Charlie and Alastor redesigns) and Helluva Boss episodes. Angel will have his redesign released this month.
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