The case of the fired frog doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon.

As we previously reported, the firing of Steve Whitmire, the voice of Kermit the Frog for nearly 30 years, has been the talk of TV for the last week. For the most part, producers are saying he was fired because he acted inappropriately. But for him, he says he was merely being outspoken.

“I offered notes, I don’t think that makes someone difficult. It was totally an idea of trying to do what was best for the Muppets,” Steve said on the Today show this morning.

Steve had previously said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “The first issue was that they felt I had been ‘disrespectful’ in being outspoken on character issues with the small group of top creative people during the ABC series. I have been outspoken about what’s best for the Muppets since the Muppets came to Disney [in 2004], but the fact is I have respect for everyone who was involved in the creation of that series for their own particular contributions. At the same time, I also have insight into their limitations with respect to how well they know the Muppets.”

He revealed on Today that he hadn’t received a warning before he was fired: “Nothing had ever been framed to me as a career-breaking problem,” he said, later explaining that the studio wanted him to frame this as “I moved on, and I retired.”

A spokesperson for the Muppets studio had released a statement prior, stating, “The role of Kermit the Frog is an iconic one that is beloved by fans and we take our responsibility to protect the integrity of that character very seriously. We raised concerns about Steve’s repeated unacceptable business conduct over a period of many years and he consistently failed to address the feedback. The decision to part ways was a difficult one which was made in consultation with the Henson family and has their full support.”