The Muppet Studio revealed that Whitmire was fired for 'unacceptable business conduct.'

Kermit the Frog in "The Muppets" ABC

To the public, it seemed like Whitmire had been wronged by Disney — unfairly let go, and unfairly pushed out of the company he had given so much to.

Then The Muppet Studio (now owned by Disney) released a statement of its own on Monday.

The Muppet Studio’s statement said that Whitmire's firing was years in the making, and that the decision to recast him came after consultations with the Henson family, along with many talks with Whitmire himself, in which Disney attempted to address his "unacceptable business conduct."

Here's the thrust of it:

“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."

Whitmire, who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter, responded to accusations that he had conducted himself unacceptably, and said he felt Disney's primary motivation for firing him had more to do with character notes that he gave while ABC's "The Muppets" show was in production.

Whitmire's biggest character note for "The Muppets" was this: Kermit isn't a liar.

Disney pushed a plotline on "The Muppets" where Kermit lies to his cousin Robin about his breakup with Miss Piggy, and Whitmire wasn't a fan. This became a contentious issue between the puppeteer and Disney, according to Whitmire. Whitmire even went so far as to insinuate that Disney's dismissal of his character notes as one of the reasons why the show was cancelled after its first (and final) season last fall.

Here's what he said when speaking to The Hollywood Reporter:

"We have been doing these characters for a long, long time and we know them better than anybody. I thought I was aiding to keep it on track, and I think a big reason why the show was canceled (after one season last fall) was because that didn't happen. I am not saying my notes would have saved it, but I think had they listened more to all of the performers, it would have made a really big difference."