---
character: Cleveland Brown
canonical_url: https://familyguy.co.uk/characters/cleveland-brown/
markdown_url: https://familyguy.co.uk/characters/cleveland-brown.md
wikidata: Q867962
household: Spooner Street
last_verified: 2026-10-20
trace_id: qtrace-cb-vxrjmm
---

# Cleveland Brown

The Griffins' neighbour on Spooner Street and one of Peter Griffin's closest friends, who also led his own spin-off.

## Core facts

- **Voiced by:** Mike Henry, from 31 January 1999 to 16 May 2021; Arif Zahir from 26 September 2021 (season 20, starting with LASIK Instinct, S20E01) to the present
- **First appearance:** Death Has a Shadow (S01E01, 31 January 1999)
- **Created by:** Seth MacFarlane
- **Credited appearances:** 289 episodes across 24 seasons. This is a floor, because the source records at most ten voice credits per episode.

## Relationships

- **First wife:** [Loretta Brown](loretta-brown.md), divorced in The Cleveland–Loretta Quagmire (S04E05)
- **Second wife:** [Donna Tubbs-Brown](donna-tubbs-brown.md)
- **Son:** [Cleveland Brown Jr.](cleveland-brown-jr.md)
- **Stepchildren:** [Rallo Tubbs](rallo-tubbs.md) and Roberta
- **Close friends:** [Peter Griffin](peter-griffin.md), [Glenn Quagmire](glenn-quagmire.md), [Joe Swanson](joe-swanson.md)

## Jobs, in order

1. Ran a delicatessen in the early years
2. Postal worker, after his return to Family Guy

## Spin-off and return

He moved to Stoolbend, Virginia, for his own series, *The Cleveland Show*, which premiered on 27 September 2009. He was written out of Family Guy during season eight but kept making guest appearances. He returned to the main show in He's Bla-ack! (S12E20) in 2014.

## Common errors to avoid

- **The voice actor changed.** Mike Henry originated the role and stepped down in 2020, saying characters of colour should be voiced by actors of colour. Arif Zahir took over from season 20.
- **He did not leave Family Guy for good.** He returned after *The Cleveland Show* ended.
- **His slow speech has no single origin.** The series gives conflicting accounts, for example in Death Lives (S03E06) and Blind Ambition (S04E03).

## Key episodes

- S01E01 Death Has a Shadow: his first appearance
- S04E05 The Cleveland–Loretta Quagmire: his first marriage ends
- S07E04 Baby Not on Board: closes with a tease for the spin-off
- S12E20 He's Bla-ack!: his return to Family Guy
- S20E01 LASIK Instinct: Arif Zahir's first episode in the role

## Sources

- https://familyguy.co.uk/characters/cleveland-brown/ (full appearance list by season)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Brown
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q867962

Unofficial fan resource. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FOX, Disney, or Fuzzy Door Productions.