The Proud Family Reboot Is Everything I Would Have Wanted As a Kid

Back when I was too young to watch South Park if my mom was at home, there was nothing I loved more than curling up in bed for a marathon of The Proud Family. I was a young Black kid who was obsessed with cartoons and desperate to see myself reflected on screen. In the early aughts, The Proud Family was one of very few shows that could sate my needs. Like me and my family, the Prouds were Black and boisterous. And though they supposedly lived in “Wizville,” California, as a Los Angeles resident, I knew the truth. “LaCienega Boulevardez?” You can’t fool me!

Naturally, I was ecstatic to hear that Disney+ is rebooting the long-running sitcom, now under the title The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. After a decade and a half off air, one of my favorite animated families would be returning to my TV screen, with much of the original voice cast attached. The only thing that could make the announcement more exciting was a reveal that Solange would be penning a new theme song.

Or so I thought. Adding to my already overflowing excitement was yesterday’s update, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, that Louder and Prouder would introduce a pair of gay dads to the regular cast. Even better? They would be voiced by two gay actors.

Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins and Barry Leibowitz-Jenkins — no, I don’t know whether the similarity to Moonlight director Barry Jenkins’ name was intentional — will be voiced by Emmy winner Billy Porter and Emmy nominee Zachary Quinto, respectively. According to EW, the pair will play the “mixed-raced adoptive parents to 14-year-old activist Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins,” who will be voiced by none other than Keke Palmer.

In their first-look photos, the shorter Randall smirks in a suave suit, which he wears over a pink shirt and tops off with a magenta, polka-dot tie. The hulking Barry stands behind with his hand gently resting on Randall’s shoulder, nearly bursting out of his form-fitting mustard polo, which he wears tucked into a pair of jeans with an attention-grabbing belt. In the words of Nicki Minaj, “No, I don’t think you understand. I’m obsessed.”

The addition of Randall and Barry is certainly a welcome update for this latest iteration of the series. While The Proud Family was indeed groundbreaking for its Black and Latinx representation, the show was a bit slower in other respects. I specifically recall Michael Collins, a recurring character who was coded as queer though his sexuality was never explicitly addressed. In addition to sharing my name, Michael loved fashion and was a passionate dancer. Unfortunately, his storylines felt pretty regressive, even for the early 2000s. Michael was constantly bullied and teased, and his peers regularly called him a “sissy.” His father, a sports coach at the show’s resident middle school, was so embarrassed by his son that he forced Michael to call him “Coach” in public so as to not be associated with him.

Pixar Is Reportedly Looking to Cast a Young Trans Actor

The Oscar-winning studio is working on an “upcoming project” about a 14-year-old transgender girl.

View Story

Coincidentally, Michael will be returning as well — and from the looks of it, his character will be portrayed in a much more sensitive light. In Louder and Prouder, Michael will be voiced by EJ Johnson, the gender nonconforming son of Magic Johnson and star of E!’s gone-too-soon Rich Kids of Beverly Hills. Now taking up the role as “Penny’s best guy friend,” Michael is described as a “non-conforming trendsetter, serving fierce looks at school and on the basketball court.” While the early-aughts version of the character was known for his oversized, slightly off-the-shoulder t-shirt and signature headband, EW’s first-look at the new (and in my opinion, improved) version of the character looks positively fashion-forward with their balloon-sleeved blouse, suspenders around the waist, and head full of pink-highlighted dreadlocks.

“Feeling all the elation feels today as I finally get to announce I’m voicing and bringing to life the character [of] Michael Collins,” Johnson wrote in an Instagram post yesterday. “This character is witty fabulous glamorous and a force to be reckoned [with] as well as unapologetically themselves. All attributes I love to bring to my characters.”

The Proud Family would have always held a special place in my heart. But with the 2021 version of the animated series taking great strides to reflect more real-world diversity, the Disney sitcom seems poised to blow even my expectations out the water. The Proud Family reboot is everything I would have wanted as a kid. But I’ll settle for tucking in to watch it as an adult.

Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for them.'s weekly newsletter here.