YouTuber Arif Zahir to voice Cleveland Brown in 'Family Guy'

Zahir made a name for himself with his impressions of the character

YouTuber Arif Zahir has been announced as the new voice of Cleveland Brown in 'Family Guy'. Instagram / IMDB

Arif Zahir, a YouTuber who has made a name for himself doing impressions of Family Guy's Cleveland Brown, has been officially cast as the character.

Mike Henry had voiced Cleveland since 1999, but announced he was stepping down in June.

"I love this character, but persons of colour should play characters of colour," Henry said at the time.

Henry also voices a number of minor characters in the show, including John Herbert and Bruce the Performance Artist.

Newcomer Zahir has more than 6 million followers on YouTube. When Henry resigned from the role of Cleveland Brown in June, he volunteered himself for the role in a TikTok video.

Since news that he has landed the role was made public, Zahir has shared a video assuring fans he "will not let them down."

"To all the people who are worried that I am going to stray too away from Mike's performance I promise that is not the case," he says in his own voice. Zahir then shifts into character and says: "Because I have studied Mike. I mean, he's incredible. I won't let you down, I promise."

Zahir has been given Henry's seal of approval for the role.

“Arif’s vocal talent is obvious, but his understanding of Cleveland and his respect for the character give me confidence that he is in the right hands,” Henry said in a statement.

“I look forward to getting to know Arif and working with him to make sure Cleveland stays every bit as awesome as he has always been.”

Of his new role, Zahir said: "When I heard that Mike Henry was stepping down from the role of Cleveland Brown, my favourite cartoon character of all time, I was shocked and saddened, assuming we'd never see him again. When I learned I would get to take over the role? Overabundant gratitude. To Mike, you created something truly special, and I promise I will do my absolute best to honour your legacy. To Rich Appel, Alec Sulkin and Seth MacFarlane, thank you for this incredible gift. And to the millions of fans who love this show, I promise not to let you down."

Henry had already voiced the character of Cleveland for the upcoming 18th season of the animated show. Zahir will take over from season 19 of Family Guy.