Tommy Davidson on the longevity of ‘The Proud Family’, and its new follow-up on Disney+

Disney+

More than two decades after the acclaimed original premiered, a continuation of the animated series The Proud Family, called The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, drops Wednesday on Disney+.

The streaming service is also home to the original series, which stars Kyla Pratt as Paula Proud, Tommy Davidson as her dad, Oscar, Paula Jai Parker as her mom, Trudy Proud, and Jo Marie Payton as Paula’s grandma, Suga Mama.

Tommy tells ABC Audio that after the original series signed off on 2005, fans couldn’t wait for a return. “Over the years, there’s been a presence for The Proud Family…” he explains. “You know, and I’m out there tactile in every market in the country, and I know for a fact that people are wanting the show back from from from the time that we went off the air. You know, so with it coming back, if it’s just double, it’s double the amount of people that want it.”

In his long career, Davidson explains he’s often recognized for his animated alter-ego, no matter where he goes — including a particular comedy club, he recalls.

“There was a really young waitress there, and all of the staff…were like waiting to say hey, goodbye and take pictures. And she was like, ‘I don’t know who he is. I don’t know.’ So they were saying, Ace Ventura and all this stuff…”

“And then somebody said, ‘What about The Proud Family?'” Affecting Oscar Proud’s boisterous voice, Tommy replied, “Yeah, what about The Proud Family?” He laughs, “She was like, ‘AHHH!'” 

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