Summary
Samantha Kelly has voicedPrincess Peachand Toad ever since Mario Strikers Charged in 2007. Her credits in theMarioseries are far too long to list here, with her latest appearance beingMario & Luigi: Brothershipin November 2024.
But now, her time in the Mario series has come to a very unceremonious end. Yesterday,Nintendoinformed Kelly that the roles of Peach and Toad have been recast, meaning that it isn’t her voice that we can hear inMario Kart World. She thanks fans for their love and support over the years, as she waves goodbye to the roles on Instagram.
In a statement, Kelly leaves a message for her fans as she waves goodbye to the characters she’s played for 18 years.
“Thank you for so many years of friendship and joy,” says Kelly. “I’m sad that it’s over, I truly would have wanted to voice Peach and Toad forever. Nintendo let me know yesterday that they decided to recast these roles.
She continues, “I’m grateful that I got to do these voices for so many years. Peach and Toad are such strong and beautiful characters that I pray they live forever no matter who voices them. So much love.”
This comes shortly afterCharles Martinet stepped away from voicing Marioafter 30 years in the role. As of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Mario is played by Kevin Afghani, who also provides lines for Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Baby Mario, and Baby Luigi.
The credits for Mario Kart World do not list any of the characters alongside their actors, so it’s unclear who will be voicing Peach and Toad going forward. In any case, this is certainly the end of an era, and it’s sad to see that Kelly wasn’t given any warning before Mario Kart World launched without her voice.
