'King of the Hill' Voice Actor Stephen Root Addresses Reboot Rumors (Exclusive)

Rumors have been swirling that King of the Hill might be getting a reboot, and series voice actor Stephen Root recently addressed the speculation. During an exclusive interview with Pop Culture.com, Root explained that he had read about King of the Hill head writer and executive producer Brent Forrester proclaiming that a revival of the show is coming. He then joked that series creator Mike Judge probably wasn't ready for that news to be shared, as he isn't aware of any concrete plans to bring the show back right now.

"[I] haven't heard about it, but I would welcome that. I think it's actually a great idea," Root said. Fans will remember that Root voiced the lovable and naive Bill Dauterive for all 13 seasons of the classic animated sitcom. During our interview, Root added that he knows Judge recently "started a new partnership with [producer] Greg Daniels" in the form of "a new animation company," which could possibly lead to the development of a King of the Hill revival, but at the time, he says, we'll all just have to wait and "see where that goes."

Root went on to praise King of the Hill, not as a star, but as a fan, for having such an incredible writing team. The writing was so good on that show. That's the thing," Root gushed. "The writing was superb, and you could really get into real life, deep backstories." He pointed to one of his favorite examples of this: When late Texas governor Ann Richards voiced a version of herself on the show.

In the episode, Richards and Bill were dating, and Root shared that the former politician "actually came to L.A." and did the recorded performance with him. To this day, the episode has Root's favorite line he ever got to deliver as Bill. "We're talking in a fountain, and I say, 'Well, I'm going to pick you up and walk you across this fountain.' I pick her up in my arms, and I take a step, and I say, 'I believe I just stepped on a coy,'" he shared. "If I had only done that one episode, that would still be one of my favorite performances ever."

While the chances that King of the Hill will be revived are likely slim, fans can still catch Root voicing hilarious and lovable characters in many other cartoons. Most recently, he guest-starred in a couple of The Mighty Ones episodes, playing a laid-back Cajun frog named Bernard. When working on Bernard's voice, Root explained that he took a look at the rendition of the character and right away had a clue as to what the funny frog should sound like.

"This guy looked to me, very Louisiana," Root said, pointing to Bernard's hilariously "weird" mustache and hair. He started using a Cajun-style accent to give Bernard a voice, and it "ended up" being what everyone loved. The Mighty Ones Season 2 is now streaming on Peacock and Hulu.