Voice actor Samantha Kelly discovered she was no longer voicing Super Mario characters Princess Peach and Toad on the Nintendo Switch 2 launch day — specifically when Mario Kart World released without her involvement.
While Kelly may not be a widely recognized name, her contributions to the Mario universe are immense. She has voiced Peach and Toad in over 70 games across Nintendo DS, 3DS, Wii, Wii U, and Switch since Mario Strikers Charged in 2007.
From Super Mario Bros. to Luigi's Mansion, Mario Kart to Super Smash Bros., Kelly gave voice to two of the Mushroom Kingdom’s most iconic characters — even when they took center stage, such as in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker or last year’s Princess Peach: Showtime!
Her vocal work extended beyond Nintendo-developed titles too. She voiced Peach and Toad in third-party games for Nintendo systems, including Ubisoft’s Mario + Rabbids series and Sega’s Mario & Sonic at the Olympics series.
Beyond video games, Kelly also provided voices for Peach and Toad in interactive Lego Super Mario toys, within Nintendo’s Super Nintendo World theme parks, and in Nintendo’s billion-dollar-grossing Super Mario Bros. Movie (voicing other Toad characters in that film).
However, Kelly was notably absent from Mario Kart World's credits. After fans noticed this omission, the actor confirmed that her time as Peach and Toad had come to an end.
"Thank you for so many years of friendship and joy," Kelly wrote in a heartfelt message to fans on Instagram. "I'm sad that it's over. I truly would have wanted to voice Peach and Toad forever. Nintendo let me know yesterday that they decided to recast these roles.
"I'm grateful that I got to do these voices for so many years. Peach and Toad are such strong and beautiful characters that I pray they live forever no matter who voices them. So much love ❤️ #princesspeach #toad"
Nintendo has grown increasingly tight-lipped about crediting actors and developers in its games ahead of release — often withholding details until the game is officially out. This trend appears to have extended to Kelly’s situation, where neither she nor the public was informed of the casting change until Mario Kart World launched.
At this time, it remains unclear who now voices Peach and Toad in Mario Kart World and potentially future Mario titles.
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Eagle-eyed Nintendo fans have also noted another missing veteran voice actor in Mario Kart World: Takashi Nagasako, who voiced Donkey Kong for 21 years since Mario Power Tennis in 2004. His absence suggests another behind-the-scenes shift in voice casting.
In contrast, Koji Takeda — who voiced Donkey Kong in the Japanese version of The Super Mario Bros. Movie — is listed in the credits, indicating Nintendo may be aligning in-game voices with the film’s regional voice cast.
IGN has reached out to Nintendo for comment regarding both casting changes.
This isn't the first recent instance of Nintendo replacing long-time voice actors. In 2022, Charles Martinet, who had voiced Mario, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi for nearly 30 years, stepped down. Nintendo announced he would continue as a “Mario Ambassador,” though the role’s specifics remain undefined.
