West’s 2026 memoir brings renewed attention to his past, while an unrelated current controversy involving former Black Midi frontman Geordie Greep has led to five canceled U.S. shows.
Billy West is revisiting some of the hardest parts of his life as the veteran voice actor promotes his 2026 memoir, Voice-A-Versa: Finding My Voice(s) Behind the Mic. The book, published July 14 by Abrams Press, traces his path from an abusive childhood to a career that includes Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth and Dr. Zoidberg on Futurama, along with Bugs Bunny in Space Jam.
West has said his childhood helped shape the voice skills that later became his profession. In a 2007 interview with David Shankbone, he described growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father and using comedy and voices to comfort his mother. The interview was not a first-time disclosure in 2026, as an earlier version of this story suggested. West discussed the abuse publicly nearly two decades ago and has returned to it in his new memoir and recent interviews.
In a July interview with SYFY Wire, West said the memoir begins with the trauma he experienced at home. He also described voice acting as a craft that requires years of work rather than something that can be done simply because a performer is famous.
West has also criticized a long-running Hollywood practice in which professional voice actors audition for animated roles that later go to celebrities. In the 2007 Shankbone interview, West said voice actors could create character voices during auditions only to hear elements of those performances used later by better-known stars. He said he was generally not paid for that kind of audition work.
His comments remain part of a broader debate in animation over celebrity casting and the value of specialized voice performers. West’s own career illustrates the range expected from professional voice actors. On Futurama alone, he has voiced Fry, Farnsworth, Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan and other characters with distinct vocal styles.
A second story included in the original draft involved John Travolta and his son Jett, but that episode is not current news. Travolta made the disclosure in September 2009 while testifying in a Bahamas extortion trial after Jett’s death earlier that year.
Travolta told the court that his 16-year-old son had autism and a seizure disorder. He said Jett experienced seizures every five to 10 days. Contemporary Associated Press reporting carried by CBS and ABC described the testimony as the first time Travolta had publicly acknowledged his son’s autism.
The disclosure prompted debate at the time over privacy, autism and the Travolta family’s connection to Scientology. Some critics argued that the family should have spoken publicly about Jett’s condition sooner. Wendy Fournier, then president of the National Autism Association, rejected that expectation and said celebrity parents were not automatically obligated to become public advocates.
The original draft also overstated Scientology’s position by saying the church does not recognize autism as a medical condition. The Church of Scientology’s current published materials say members seek conventional medical treatment for physical illnesses and injuries, while the church strongly opposes psychiatry and psychotropic drugs. That distinction is important when describing the controversy surrounding the Travolta family.
A third story in the draft is current. Geordie Greep, the former Black Midi frontman, has had five U.S. concerts canceled after an allegation of sexual misconduct surfaced during his North American tour.
The allegation became public at Greep’s October 8 show in Vancouver, where an attendee distributed flyers accusing him of misconduct. Greep addressed the matter from the stage and denied committing rape. He said he had misread a situation at a late-night house party, made an unwanted advance and quickly apologized.
Pitchfork reported that shows in Boise, Salt Lake City, Boulder, Denver and Omaha were canceled or removed from venue listings. NME reported on October 11 that the same five dates were canceled. As of that report, an October 15 performance in Des Moines remained listed, while a short European tour was still scheduled to begin in Nijmegen on November 1.
Greep has not issued a separate public statement explaining the tour cancellations. Pitchfork said his representatives had not responded to a request for comment. At the Vancouver show, he performed without his band and said proceeds would go to an organization supporting survivors of sexual violence.
The three episodes are separated by almost two decades and should not be presented as one unfolding celebrity controversy. West’s renewed discussion of childhood trauma is tied to a memoir released this year, Travolta’s testimony belongs to a 2009 court case, and the allegations involving Greep are a developing 2026 story. Keeping those timelines clear prevents older reporting from being mistaken for current news.
IMAGE: Billy West at the 2012 Comic Con in San Diego. Photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia, taken 2012-07-14, CC BY-SA 3.0