'Big Mouth' cast: The voice actors behind your favorite characters

Judy Blume books not included, Netflix's Big Mouth is hands-down (pants down?) the most horrifyingly accurate portrayal of puberty we've ever encountered. With eight Emmy noms and three wins (all for Maya Rudolph's voice acting), much of the world seems to agree. The brainchild of comedian Nick Kroll (along with co-producers Andrew Goldberg, Mark Levin, and Jennifer Flackett), this Netflix animated series, which is ending in 2024 after eight seasons, personifies puberty through the arrival of "hormone monsters," being ultra-horny Virgils to Bridgeton Middle School's adolescent (and equally aroused) Dantes, desperate for guidance in this "very special time" in a young person's life. The resulting show is fearless when it comes to discussing every bodily function and humiliating hormonal moment you can possibly remember (or repress in your subconscious).

And did we mention it's ridiculously hilarious? Seeded with stellar comedic talent (and cameos galore), Big Mouth is more educational than health class, more healing than a therapy session, and more embarrassing than your pimpliest yearbook photo. Watching it allows viewers to relive the awkward years while also feeling eternally grateful that they're over. And while we love hearing that some parents watch this show with their kids to facilitate those necessary (and tough) birds/bees conversations, we're not quite brave enough to go there — yet. In the meantime, here are just some of the voices behind the excruciatingly adolescent characters of Big Mouth.

01 of 14

Nick Kroll (Nick Birch)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Nick Kroll (as Nick Birch) — Nick Birch; Nick Kroll. Everett Collection; Jon Kopaloff/WireImage

Co-creator, writer, and modern-day Man of 1,000 Voices (R.I.P. Mel Blanc), Nick Kroll plays Nick Birch, a diminutive 12-year-old suburbanite who, at the series beginning, hasn't hit puberty yet (unlike his best friend, Andrew). In addition to playing this charming late-bloomer with an exceptionally large forehead, Kroll also voices a rogues' gallery of main and supporting characters, including: domineering middle schooler Lola Skumpy, Nick's hormone monster Maury, the Statue of Liberty, a smack-talking ladybug, a literal tampon, Picasso's ghost, and, of course, Coach Steve. And that list, in a nutshell, pretty much sums up the kind of creative chaos Big Mouth excels at.

02 of 14

John Mulaney (Andrew Glouberman)

Big Mouth Voice Actors John Mulaney (as Andrew Glouberman) — Andrew Glouberman; John Mulaney. Everett Collection; Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

Friends on screen and in real life, the chemistry between John Mulaney (as Nick's best bud Andrew Glouberman) and Nick Kroll comes naturally. This isn't their first rodeo: The pair has worked together before, notably hitting Broadway with their two-man show, Oh, Hello! While Nick's character is a late-bloomer, Andrew is, well, fully bloomed, spending a lot of time dealing with an overactive imagination, out-of-control hormones, and a favorite new pastime called...masturbation. Andrew and Nick explore many of the awkward aspects of adolescence together, from the "am I gay?" question to fight-club-style throwdowns, and though Andrew sometimes sounds a bit more like a cranky older man than a 13-year-old boy, this only makes it funnier.

03 of 14

Jessi Klein (Jessi Glaser)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Jessi Klein (as Jessi Glaser) — Jessi Glaser; Jessi Klein.
Everett Collection/netflix; Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

As Jessi Glaser, SNL and Inside Amy Schumer writer Jessi Klein provides the crucial female perspective on puberty. Whether delving into memorable/horrible events like getting your first period (while wearing white shorts) or kissing a boy you're not sure you actually like, Klein approaches these topics with all of the humor (and gravitas) they deserve. Her deadpan blend of hilarity and sincerity creates the perfect balance to do the subjects justice, bringing a deft touch to traumatic situations (see above), and making her journey from girl to young woman (facilitated by Maya Rudolph's killer hormone monstress) truly groundbreaking television.

04 of 14

Ayo Edebiri (Missy Foreman-Greenwald)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Ayo Edebiri (as Missy Foreman-Greenwald) — Missy Foreman-Greenwald; Ayo Edebiri.
Netflix; Evans Vestal Ward/NBC via Getty

Now probably best known for her breakthrough role as chef Sydney on The Bear, Emmy-winner Ayo Edebiri took over the role of Missy from Jenny Slate near the end of season 4 after the producers acknowledged they had erred in hiring a white actress (Slate) to voice a biracial character. Edebiri doesn't just step into the role, however, she deepens it, making perhaps the show's most compelling coming-of-age arc out of the uber-awkward, nerdy, striving Missy as she transforms into a more confident, self-aware person. And the fact she does it without losing any of Missy's silly sweetness? Magic.

05 of 14

Jason Mantzoukas (Jay Bilzerian)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Jason Mantzoukas (as Jay Bilzerian) — Jay Bilzerian; Jason Mantzoukas.
Netflix; ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty

With his distinctively goofy/gravelly voice, Jason Mantzoukas plays the confused, slightly tragic, bisexual magician Jay Bilzerian. Jay has a lot on his plate: horrible parents, bullying brothers, the mockery of his peers, you get the picture. It's no wonder his pillow is his best friend (and, uh, lover). His habit of sexually harassing everybody (plus his violent streak) puts him in bad guy territory, though later in the series, Nick's family takes him in, where he experiences actual meals instead of food scraps for the first time. And in the midst of that character storm is Mantzoukas, whose ability to mix bluster and fear perfectly expresses the turmoil going on in poor Jay's brain.

06 of 14

Andrew Rannells (Matthew MacDell)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Andrew Rannells (as Matthew MacDell) — Matthew MacDell; Andrew Rannells.
Netflix; Theo Wargo/Getty

Matthew MacDell, the "school anchorman," (he does the morning announcements like a gossip segment) is Big Mouth's one-man Greek chorus, summing things up with his quicksilver intensity. Playing an over-the-top, high-energy, and (at first) the school's only openly gay kid who lives for drama, Andrew Rannells' clear-as-a-bell voice takes center stage — which is really no surprise, seeing as he's kind of a big deal (to say the least) on Broadway.

07 of 14

Fred Armisen (Elliot Birch)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Fred Armisen (as Elliot Birch) — Elliot Birch; Fred Armisen.
Netflix; John Shearer/Getty

We all knew a dad like Nick's growing up — an endless source of over-sharing embarrassment. And was there ever a more perfect person to play this guileless, sweetly kooky role than Fred Armisen? We think not. Armisen has said that the voice of Elliot Birch was inspired by Henry Winkler, which we can totally hear (now that he's mentioned it). Luckily, Armisen also voices other supporting parts in Big Mouth (including but not limited to the ghost of Antonin Scalia), because you can never have too much Fred.

08 of 14

Richard Kind (Marty Glouberman)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Richard Kind (as Marty Glouberman) — Marty Glouberman; Richard Kind.
Netflix; Bruce Glikas/Getty

He had us at "helllllooo!?" Richard Kind's instantly recognizable voice conveys so much feeling it's a bit...uncanny. Kind's expertise at playing characters who are equal parts sweet, slightly exasperated, and terribly nervous makes his role as Marty Glouberman a stroke of casting genius, sounding like the kind of guy who's always just about to knock a lamp off the table. As Andrew's dad (and the world's No. 1 scallop fan), Kind brings big Curb Your Enthusiasm energy to Big Mouth, usually at the expense of his — to put it in Marty's own words — "pervert" son Andrew.

09 of 14

Maya Rudolph (Connie the Hormone Monstress)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Maya Rudolph (as Connie the Hormone Monstress) — Connie the Hormone Monstress; Maya Rudolph.
Netflix; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Even with a catalog as deep and varied as Maya Rudolph's, Connie the Hormone Monstress is an absolute legend. Rudolph took the concept and made it her own, going from gut-bustingly funny to searingly honest in the blink of an eye — and winning a few Emmys for it along the way. As Jessi's guide out of girlhood, Connie has a memorable, hair-tossing entrance (on the day of Jessi's first period) that was both funny and shockingly accurate in its expression of the rocky road every teenage menstruator must take. Note: It's worth tuning in to hear Rudolph's way of turning common words ("buh-bble bath") into brand new (and somehow naughty) ones.

10 of 14

Thandiwe Newton (Mona the Hormone Monstress)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Thandiwe Newton (as Mona the Hormone Monstress) — Mona the Hormone Monstress; Thandiwe Newton. Everett Collection; Sylvain Lefevre/WireImage

As Missy's hormone monstress, Mona is a brassy, brazen bridge to adulthood. Bringing a slinky twist to the character without sacrificing an ounce of her strength, Thandiwe Newton makes the most of her rich British accent and haughty, fiery delivery (emphasized by Mona's lighter-flicking habit). As the perfect backup for unsure Missy, Mona is a true scene-stealer. If anyone can help a nerdy, awkward middle school kid with a heart of gold find her feminine force, the amazing Newton can.

11 of 14

David Thewlis (Shame Wizard)

Big Mouth Voice Actors David Thewlis (as the Shame Wizard) — Shame Wizard; David Thewlis.
Netflix; Dave J Hogan/Getty

Nothing less than a classically trained, massively respected, award-winning British actor could be trusted to play the Shame Wizard, something all of us have to deal with — but especially middle school kids. David Thewlis takes his job seriously, imbuing the Shame Wizard with all of the gravity, horror, humor, and, well...ickiness the role demands.

12 of 14

Jordan Peele (Ghost of Duke Ellington)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Jordan Peele (as the Ghost of Duke Ellington) — Ghost of Duke Ellington; Jordan Peele.
Netflix/Everett; JC Olivera/Getty

Jordan Peele does a bunch of small but memorable roles on Big Mouth, in particular, plenty of ghosts (Duke Ellington, Freddie Mercury, Prince, etc). Could this be because he's one of the premiere horror directors of our time? Hmmm. He also plays more, you know, alive characters, too, like Missy's dad Cyrus Byrus and her Grandma Foreman, bringing a gentle weirdo flair to roles that are a bit of a callback to his Key & Peele days.

13 of 14

Pamela Adlon (Sonya the Love Bug)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Pamela Adlon (as Sonya the Love Bug) — Sonya the Love Bug; Pamela Adlon.
Netflix; Dominik Bindl/Getty

Bringing her one-of-a-kind, tough-but-sweet pipes to season 5 as Jessi's "love bug" Sonya, Pamela Adlon is a voice acting veteran, earning a Primetime Emmy in 2002 for her role as Bobby on Mike Judge's animated classic, King of the Hill.

14 of 14

Keke Palmer (Rochelle the Hate Worm)

Big Mouth Voice Actors Keke Palmer (as Rochelle the Hate Worm) — Rochelle the Hate Worm; Keke Palmer.
Netflix; Mike Marsland/WireImage

Keke Palmer's mile-a-minute delivery is perfect for Rochelle, Missy's "hate worm" (the one with the cute eyebrow piercing). Coming in hot, Palmer brings her peppery wit and sarcastic humor to the role, one that seems tailor-made for her signature sweet-n-sour voice.

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