NEW YORK – It isn’t easy being green. But no longer being green is apparently even harder.

The puppeteer who was fired after 27 years as Kermit the Frog said Thursday he is “devastated to have failed” Muppets founder and his mentor Jim Henson.

Steve Whitmire, who took over as Kermit after Henson’s death in 1990, wrote in an emotional blogpost that he’s leaving against his will, and would “never consider abandoning Kermit.”

He says he was told in October that Kermit was being recast, and he kept silent as he has tried to address the issues that led to his firing, though neither he nor Muppets Studios have gave reasons for his departure.

The Hollywood Reporter and ABC News reported Wednesday that longtime Muppets performer Matt Vogel will take over as Kermit.