The Newsman



The Newsman is the weary, bespectacled Muppet News Flash anchor on The Muppet Show, debuting in the second episode. The Newsman always tried to deliver the news with accuracy, but was visibly flummoxed on camera by the day's latest bizarre story or interview. Interviews were a more common part of the News Flash in its first season, where the interviewees were portrayed by the show's guest star. From the second season onward, he suffered from a nasty streak of bad luck that usually culminated in some person or object - somehow related to the day's story - falling on his head.

For example, a plea to return missing library books results in a pile of books falling on the Newsman from seemingly out of nowhere, and a stock market report that beef is falling dramatically causes a cow to plummet upon his person. One Muppet Show episode had random objects falling on another Muppet, which causes Kermit to question what is happening, as "things are only supposed to fall on the Newsman!"

One would think the solution would be to give up the news after so many mishaps (but that would obviously end the sketches), but due to either dedication to his craft or a limited sense of self-preservation, the Newsman keeps plugging along.

Apart from his Muppet Show berth, the veteran journalist has presented breaking news bulletins in The Great Muppet Caper, A Muppet Family Christmas, and The Jim Henson Hour (as well as non-news related cameos in The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Take Manhattan and as an audience background character in Muppets Tonight). In The Muppets Take Manhattan, the Newsman is among the guests at Miss Piggy and Kermit's wedding. He tells Sam the Eagle they must wait for the bride and groom to arrive.

More recently, he surfaced in the video games Muppets Inside and Muppets Party Cruise, in The Muppet Show Live at MuppetFest, and on Muppets TV. His most recent appearances include The Muppet Show Comic Book, the music videos for "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "The Muppet Show Theme", as well as News Flash segments on Muppets.com.

In The Muppets, he appears as one of the telephone operators during the telethon. During the credits, he makes announcements about the Muppets following their grand finale. In a picture from the set, he appears in a deleted scene with Scooter, Kathy Griffin, and Billy Crystal. For this movie, he is rebuilt with new eyelids that can open and close.

In Muppets Most Wanted, he reports on Constantine escaping from the Gulag and Kermit and Piggy's supposed marriage.

Additional names

 * In the scripts for season one of The Muppet Show, the character was called Muppet Reporter. It was changed to the Newsman in season two.


 * In The Muppet Show Annual 1977, he is called "The Muppet News Reporter."


 * In some merchandise, such as the Palisades Toys action figure of the Newsman, he is called Muppet Newsman.


 * In Muppet Party Cruise, he is listed as Muppet Newscaster.

Casting History
Main Performers
 * Jim Henson: The Muppet Show (1976) - The Jim Henson Hour (1989)
 * Steve Whitmire: Muppets.com (2008) - present

Alternate Performers
 * Jerry Nelson: Muppets Inside CD-ROM (1996)
 * Brian Henson: The Muppet Show Live (2001), Muppets Party Cruise (2003)

Filmography

 * The Muppet Show
 * "The Muppet Show Theme" (Seasons 2-5)
 * Episode 102: Connie Stevens
 * Episode 103: Joel Grey
 * Episode 104: Ruth Buzzi
 * Episode 105: Rita Moreno
 * Episode 106: Jim Nabors
 * Episode 108: Paul Williams
 * Episode 110: Harvey Korman
 * Episode 111: Lena Horne
 * Episode 112: Peter Ustinov
 * Episode 114: Sandy Duncan
 * Episode 117: Ben Vereen
 * Episode 118: Phyllis Diller
 * Episode 119: Vincent Price
 * Episode 120: Valerie Harper
 * Episode 121: Twiggy
 * Episode 123: Kaye Ballard
 * Episode 124: Mummenschanz
 * Episode 203: Milton Berle
 * Episode 204: Rich Little
 * Episode 205: Judy Collins
 * Episode 207: Edgar Bergen
 * Episode 208: Steve Martin
 * Episode 209: Madeline Kahn
 * Episode 212: Bernadette Peters
 * Episode 215: Lou Rawls
 * Episode 217: Julie Andrews
 * Episode 218: Jaye P. Morgan
 * Episode 221: Bob Hope
 * Episode 301: Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge
 * Episode 304: Gilda Radner
 * Episode 305: Pearl Bailey
 * Episode 309: Liberace
 * Episode 313: Helen Reddy
 * Episode 317: Spike Milligan
 * Episode 323: Lynn Redgrave
 * Episode 408: Arlo Guthrie
 * Episode 409: Beverly Sills
 * Episode 410: Kenny Rogers
 * Episode 415: Anne Murray
 * Episode 416: Jonathan Winters
 * Episode 417: Star Wars
 * Episode 418: Christopher Reeve
 * Episode 419: Lynda Carter
 * Episode 422: Andy Williams
 * Episode 501: Gene Kelly
 * Episode 504: Shirley Bassey
 * Episode 509: Debbie Harry
 * Episode 510: Jean-Pierre Rampal
 * Episode 511: Paul Simon
 * Episode 512: Melissa Manchester
 * Episode 513: Tony Randall
 * Episode 519: Chris Langham
 * Episode 522: Buddy Rich
 * Episode 523: Linda Ronstadt
 * Episode 524: Roger Moore
 * The Muppet Movie
 * The Great Muppet Caper
 * The Muppets Take Manhattan
 * Pampers commercial
 * A Muppet Family Christmas
 * The Jim Henson Hour
 * Episode 105: First Show
 * Muppets Tonight
 * Episode 109: Whoopi Goldberg ("People's Court")
 * Episode 208: The Cameo Show ("Johnny Fiama's Pasta Playhouse" cameo)
 * The Muppet Show Live
 * Muppet viral videos
 * Bohemian Rhapsody
 * The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora
 * World's Biggest Sandwich
 * The Muppet Show Theme Music Video
 * The Muppets
 * Muppets Most Wanted
 * Muppet Moments

Book appearances

 * The Muppet Show Book (1978)
 * The Comic Muppet Book (1979)
 * Robin Hood (1980)
 * Muppets at Sea (1980)
 * The Muppet Show Comic Book (2009)
 * Muppet Robin Hood (2009)
 * The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson (2009)
 * The Muppet Show Comic Book: Pigs in Space (2009)
 * The Muppets Character Encyclopedia (2014)