– Kumail Nanjiani rethinks his initial tweet after Adventure Time creator’s response
– Adam Muto’s Tumblr post criticised Nanjiani’s claim of ‘making history’
– Fionna and Cake are celebrated characters, created by the original show’s all-female writers
Actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani recently faced some backlash for a tweet he posted celebrating his role in the upcoming Adventure Time spin-off, Fionna and Cake. Nanjiani tweeted that he was “making cartoon history,” which provoked a response from the original show’s executive producer, Adam Muto, who posted on Tumblr, highlighting the importance of the full creative team behind the series.
In his tweet, Nanjiani claimed to be “playing the first ever non-white character on Adventure Time,” which he later deleted, as he received criticism for downplaying the roles of other characters and creators from diverse backgrounds. Muto addressed the issue on Tumblr, writing, “To achieve a more inclusive Adventure Time, we didn’t just ‘add color’ to Fionna and Cake. We rebuilt the entire thing to feel distinct within the show’s universe.”
Muto went on to say that these inclusivity efforts resulted from the collaborative creative process involving all of their writers, including an all-female team that created Fionna and Cake for the original show. “I just want to celebrate the hard work of all the people who worked on these eps and recognize their contributions,” Muto wrote. “That’s why Fionna and Cake are considered such a beloved aspect of Adventure Time: not because of one binary change, but because so many people of varied backgrounds and perspectives poured their hearts into it.”
In response to the Adventure Time creator’s post, Nanjiani recanted his earlier statement, tweeting, “Yeah I really messed up w this tweet. I deleted it. I somehow hadn’t put together that Kyle playing Simon & Open Mike Eagle playing Benny meant I wasn’t ‘the first.’ Very stupid. I apologize for that & for the self-aggrandizing tone of the tweet.” Nanjiani acknowledged that other nonwhite performers, such as Kyle Kinane and Mike Eagle, had portrayed characters in the show before.
He also expressed appreciation for the opportunity to work on the spin-off and celebrate the diverse cast and crew involved in the project. The Fionna and Cake series will focus on two popular gender-swapped characters introduced during the original run of Adventure Time, celebrating the talent and creativity of the diverse writing team behind this unique animated universe.