Viewers are curious to know why Kahn’s original voice actor was recast in the King of the Hill reboot. Toby Huss voiced Kahn, a Laotian man and one of the Hills’ neighbors, from 1997 to 2009. Now that the sitcom has rebooted, there has been a change in Kahn’s voice actor. Here is why Huss was replaced and who voices Kahn now.
Why was Toby Huss replaced by Ronny Chieng as Kahn in King of the Hill reboot?
Showrunner Saladin Patterson wanted Kahn’s representation to be authentically Asian. Therefore, the role was recast, and the character is now voiced by Crazy Rich Asians actor Ronny Chieng.
In conversation with TV Line, Patterson said, “Kahn was such an important character, especially as the foil to Hank, and that representation was important as well.” He mentioned that the sitcom was ahead of its time when it came to representing Asian characters on TV. He said he wanted to stay true to the show’s core. As a result, they sought to have the character authentically represented in the revival by casting an Asian actor. “Times have changed in terms of our attitudes towards casting, in a good way, and so we certainly wanted to be authentic in who we cast to voice that character,” he added.
Patterson revealed that he believed Chieng to be a natural fit for the role. “He grew up in Singapore and grew up watching King of the Hill,” Patterson said. Moreover, he mentioned how Chieng felt on taking over the role. He added that they’re happy that he joined the voice roster.
“[Chieng] He was fond of the show and had an affinity for the characters. He stepped into the role of Kahn with love, as well as a little bit more of a 360-degree point of view of the character that I think he brought to the voice. So we’re very, very happy to have him embody Kahn.”
