Last month’s exciting news that Futurama was returning for a full season of new episodes on Hulu was tempered by the fact that the cast of the show was missing one of its most important members. John DiMaggio, the voice of the irreverent robot Bender, had decided not to return along with fellow Futurama alums Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman.

Believing he and all of his co-stars were being underpaid, DiMaggio had not agreed to a new contract by the time the revival was announced back in February. After the show was revealed without DiMaggio’s involvement, some fans began to threaten to boycott the new episodes. Meanwhile, the show moved forward without DiMaggio; last we heard, they were planning to recast Bender with a new voice actor.

But now, a few weeks later, the matter has been resolved and the original Bender is back in the fold. Today, DiMaggio released this statement (via Variety):

I’M BACK, BABY! So damn grateful for the love and support of fans and colleagues alike during this whole time (especially my wife, Kate), and I cannot wait to get back to work with my ‘Futurama’ family. #Bendergate is officially over, so put it on the back of a shelf behind Xmas decorations, or maybe in that kitchen drawer with all of the other crap you put in there like old unusable crazy glue, or maybe even put it in a jar you save farts in. Whatever floats your boat, I don’t care, you get the picture. I’M BACK, BABY! BITE MY SHINY METAL ASS!

Hulu has ordered 20 new episodes of Futurama; the new episodes are expected to begin airing in 2023. Bender lives!

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