deserves an Emmy. If not for his contribution to the whip-smart writing and flat-out boldness of his long-running, raunchy yet tender, semi-autobiographical series, then perhaps there’s a more compelling argument. The actor has been seen on over the past 15 years and should win the medium’s top prize on sheer volume, as he voices a staggering 79 characters on the beloved adult animation series, which is next year.
But don’t ask to name all 79 character voices he’s created for the show. In fact, speaking with , he explained how Netflix had to do some quick research and fact-check that figure ahead of this year’s Emmy voting, which started this week, now that he is throwing his hat in the ring for the outstanding character voice-over performance award. Not that , which has the distinction as Netflix’s longest-running show for adults, gets shut out on Emmy night.
It’s seen multiple best animated series nominations, one of its many musical numbers got a nod, and Kroll’s castmate Maya Rudolph has already taken the Emmy for outstanding character voice-over performance three times for her instant-classic work as Connie, the hormone monstress. Where Rudolph can make a simple phrase like “bubble bath” have audiences cackling and remix videos of Connie uttering those words go viral, Kroll is very much the show’s soul. That’s because one of the 79 characters he voices is ’s central character, Nick, a fickle, doted-upon pubescent avatar of Kroll himself as a pre.