TV & Movies

Your Guide To All The New & Returning Voices In The Proud Family Reboot

Lizzo, Lil Nas X, and Tiffany Haddish are among the celebrities guest-starring in the new show.

by Kadin Burnett
Penny Proud coming down the stairs in 'The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder"
Photo courtesy of Netflix

It’s hard to come up with a better end to Black history month than the return of The Proud Family. Over 15 years after the Disney animated series aired its final episode, a reboot — The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder — will hit Disney+ on Feb. 23. Like the original, the new show will follow the antics of the titular Proud Family, including teenager Penny Proud, her parents Trudy and Oscar, and her beloved grandma Suga Mama. The reboot will also include the addition of several new characters — many of them voiced by celebrities — as the Prouds’ Smithville neighborhood expands. Read on for a full breakdown of the new and returning cast.

Kyla Pratt voices Penny Proud

Kyla Pratt will reprise her role as protagonist Penny, the Prouds’ plucky and precocious teenage daughter and the engine that drives the show. Though Penny may be Pratt’s most iconic role, fans may also remember her turn as Brianna Barnes on the early 2000s sitcom One on One or as Maya, the daughter of Eddie Murphy’s character, from the Dr. Doolittle film franchise.

“Realizing throughout my life, and my journey, how many people come up to talk to me about how influential [The Proud Family] has been to them ... it helped me realize how [influential] it was for me [too],” Pratt told Bustle in a recent interview.

Photo courtesy of Disney+

Keke Palmer voices Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins

Of the main cast, Keke Palmer is probably the biggest name. She’s appeared in shows including Insecure, Big Mouth, and Scream Queens in addition to a standout role in Lorene Scafaria’s buzzy 2019 crime dramedy Hustlers. She’s next set to appear in Jordan Peele’s new horror-thriller Nope. On The Proud Family, she plays Maya, an activist and new friend of Penny’s who moves into the neighborhood with her two dads.

Photo courtesy of Disney+

Zachary Quinto & Billy Porter voice Maya’s dads

Quinto (American Horror Story, Star Trek) and Porter (Kinky Boots, Pose) play Maya’s parents Barry and Randall Leibowitz-Jenkins. They also have a son, Francis “KG” Leibowitz-Jenkins, voiced by rapper A Boogie wit da Hoodie.

Disney+

Tommy Davidson voices Oscar Proud

The former In Living Color star returns to voice the hapless patriarch of the Prouds, who’s known for his disgusting yet profitable food business Proud Snacks as well as his ability to disappear when he turns sideways. As for Davidson, fans may recognize his work from the original show or his turn as Cream Corn on the Black Dynamite TV series.

Photo courtesy of Disney+

Paula Jai Parker voices Trudy Proud

Paula Jai Parker is back again as Trudy Proud, the level-headed and career-driven mother of the Proud family. Parker has more recently acted on shows like Queen Sugar and Ray Donovan, but her credits date back upwards of 20 years, including roles in Friday, Phone Booth, and Hustle & Flow.

Photo courtesy of Disney+

Jo Marie Payton voices Suga Mama

Jo Marie Payton is also back as Suga Mama, Penny’s sweet but curmudgeonly grandmother who spends most of her time napping in the living room. Fans may recognize Payton for her work in Family Matters, or more recently in the 2019 stoner comedy Beach Bum.

Photo courtesy of Disney+

Karen Malina White voices Dijonay Jones

White returns as Penny’s best friend Dijonay Jones, who always keeps their friendship “as cool as the other side of the pillow.” Since the original series, White has appeared in the likes of Better Things, Veep, and Lodge 49.

Disney+

Soleil Moon Frye voices Zoey Howzer

Another original cast member, Frye voices Zoey, one of Penny’s more awkward friends with a surprising amount of rhythm. Viewers may remember Frye from her starring role on Punky Brewster, another classic kids show that landed a 2020s reboot.

Photo courtesy of Disney+

E.J. Johnson voices Michael Collins

One of the new voices joining the Proud Family cast is E.J. Johnson, a fashion icon and the son of NBA legend Magic Johnson. Fans of the original series will remember Michael as Penny’s queer-coded schoolmate, who was often called a sissy. Even for the early 2000s, Michaels’ storyline felt regressive. However, the reboot appears to give the character a more sensitive representation. He’s described as “Penny’s best guy friend” and a “non-conforming trendsetter.” (Michael was originally voiced by Phil LaMarr).

Photo courtesy of Disney+

Alisa Reyes voices LaCienega Boulevardez

Reyes reprises her role as LaCienega, Penny’s frenemy and the most popular girl in school. Despite the tension between them, Penny and LaCienega are often stuck hanging out together, because LaCienega is friends with Dijonay, and their parents and grandparents are best friends. Viewers may also recognize Reyes from the long-running sketch show All That.

Photo courtesy of Disney+

Cedric The Entertainer voices Bobby Proud

Legendary comedian Cedric the Entertainer returns as Bobby Proud, Penny’s uncle and Suga Mama’s eldest son. She seems to favor Bobby over Oscar, which annoys Oscar. Bobby sings and talks like the lead singers of the 1970s funk bands like Cameo and The Commodores, and he has his own band called DisFunkshunal Junction.

Disney+

Asante Blackk voices Kareem

Blackk, who’s best known for his turn as Kevin Richardson in When They See Us and Malik Hodges in This Is Us, voiced Penny’s boyfriend Kareem. Blackk is also the nephew of actor Samira Wiley (Orange is the New Black, The Handmaid’s Tale).

The rest of the Proud Family: Louder and Prouder cast list reads more like the attendees of an awards show than the voice cast of a children’s cartoon. Among the guest stars appearing are Lizzo, Courtney B. Vance, Tina Knowles, Marsai Martin, Al Roker, Lil Nas X, Lena Waithe, Lamorne Morris, Leslie Odom Jr., Brenda Song, Jaden Smith, Jane Lynch, Normani, Chance the Rapper, Anthony Anderson, Tiffany Haddish, Gabrielle Union, and Eva Longoria.