Why Does ‘Smiling Friends’ Co-Creator Zach Hadel Sound Like That? Inside His Unique Voice
There are many theories floating around about why Zach has such a unique voice.
Published Nov. 13 2025, 1:40 p.m. ET
Arguably the most memorable things about characters from your favorite animated films and television shows are the iconic and highly distinctive voices behind them. Adult Swim’s popular animated series Smiling Friends, was co-created and co-stars Zach Hadel in one of the show’s lead roles — but what makes his character stand out is Zach’s natural, unique voice.
Let’s dive in to why Zach sounds the way he does and if his voice is an exaggeration or the result of something else.
Why does Zach Hadel sound like that?
The answer is a bit unclear. There are many theories floating around about why Zach has such a unique voice, and if it is something that he does intentionally to voice his character on Smiling Friends.
However, there doesn’t appear to be a concrete answer. Some also believe that Zach’s voice is the result of a deviated septum, but that has never been confirmed.
In an October 2025 interview, Zach and ‘Smiling Friends’ co-creator Michael Cusack discussed behind-the-scenes details of the show’s third season and its popularity.
“I kind of view it as Michael and I screwing around, almost,” Zach told The Wrap about working on the show. “It feels like an inside joke that got too big or something. If this all collapses around us, it’ll just be Michael and me … and that’s fine.”
“It would be weirder and more uncomfortable if it was just me. The fact it’s with a friend, with someone else, it’s even cooler because I can be a fan of it, if that makes sense,” Michael said.
Speaking of their creative process for their characters each season, Zach revealed that he and Michael love to have fun without totally abandoning what fans love.
”Combining different character dynamics is fun to us and also figuring out who these characters are more,” he told the outlet. “We’re not switching gears or totally going into a different thing but just enough where the audience feels satiated by it.”
Zach also recently shared the possibility of creating a feature-length ‘Smiling Friends’ movie that would likely act as the show’s end.
“If you look at stuff like the Halloween episode from Season 1, or the one we just did, or the Mr. Frog episode, there's flavors of what it might look and feel like,” he told People in November 2025.
“We would treat a movie as if it's a really big episode in the sense of ... I imagine the pacing would be similar, but it's not going to be nonstop, it's not going to be 10 minutes times 10 or whatever,” Zach continued. “I think it would surprise people, I hope, in how it's done."
“And we have really, really, really rough ideas for what we would do, and I think they're good ideas,” he added. “I'd also want it to be something that if you've never seen the show at all, you can still kind of watch the movie, to a degree. I feel like it'd be a good movie.”