‘Teen Titans’ Actor Claims WB Fired Him for Having Parkinson’s

Greg Cipes, the voice actor for Beast Boy in Teen Titans and other animated DC projects, alleges he was fired from his longtime role earlier this year after publicly revealing his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis.

On Sunday, internet journalist and DC fan Emmauel Newsome tagged Superman director James Gunn in an Instagram post about “upsetting details” concerning Cipes allegedly being dropped by Warner Bros. following his diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease.

Cipes announced his diagnosis in March, and in Newsome’s post, the actor claimed that WB fired him soon after. According to Newsome, Cipes was axed by longtime WB Animation president Sam Register, despite Cipes’ fellow Titans actors calling for the decision to be overturned.

“It’s like a death to me that only fans can bring back to life,” Cipes said. As well as voicing Beast Boy in Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go, the actor has reprised the role in Young Justice and DC Super Hero Girls, and can be heard in Ben 10, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Ultimate Spider-Man.

Newsome’s post further alleged that Cipes may be potentially replaced by a mimic in the upcoming Go season, and the journalist has created a petition to help the actor get his job back.

According to a source speaking to TheWrap on Sunday, Teen Titans Go’s producers reportedly talked with Cipes about him possibly stepping down due to “performance issues.” The source claimed that the actor’s performance was no longer suitable for the role of Beast Boy, but the producers reportedly wanted to keep Cipes on by creating a new character for him to voice. Negotiations were apparently ongoing prior to Newsome’s explosive Instagram post.

And that’s all we know at time of writing. io9 has reached out to both Warner Bros. and Cipes, and this story will be updated if and when we learn more.

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