Who voices Charlie in Smiling Friends? Actor’s career and notable projects explored

If you watch Smiling Friends and immediately think about the person who is behind Charlie Dompler's voice, then you are definitely not alone. His dry delivery, perfectly timed sarcasm, and quietly unhinged energy all comes from Zach Hadel, the animator and comedian who co created the series with Michael Cusack.

Hadel has been a major voice in internet animation for more than a decade, and Smiling Friends marks his biggest mainstream breakthrough yet. His career began online, where his surreal humour and distinct art style built a huge following long before Adult Swim came calling. If Charlie's character has you feeling curious about Hadel's resume, then you're at the right place. Here's everything to know about Zach Hadel's past projects and his work on Smiling Friends.

Exploring Smiling Friends star Zach Hadel's career and notable works

Long before Smiling Friends became one of Adult Swim’s biggest hits, Zach Hadel was already a cult figure online, thanks to his short form cartoons. His early animations blew up on Newgrounds and YouTube, especially his viral 2011 response to the overused “arrow in the knee” joke from The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

One of his most famous early collaborations was Hellbenders, created with fellow animator Chris O’Neill. Even so, Hellbenders became a cornerstone of Hadel’s early identity. He and O’Neill also created a viral parody of the Kony 2012 documentary, which pulled over a million views in its first weekend and cemented their reputation as sharp satirists.

Hadel’s voice in online animation grew through the SleepyCabin collective. He co hosted the SleepyCast podcast, and by 2024, his YouTube channel, psychicpebbles, had reached 1.6 million subscribers and more than 220 million views.

His industry work broadened too. He animated a segment for Seth Rogen’s Hilarity for Charity, co created with Justin Roiland, who later called Hadel’s piece the most transgressive joke in the entire special. He storyboarded the 2018 SpongeBob SquarePants episode The Grill is Gone, and hosted another podcast, Schmucks, where he interviewed people like Michael Stevens, Finn Wolfhard, Jon Jafari, and Ethan Klein.

Some of his notable appearances on television include The One Show in 2011 as an animator, then played Ity on Hilarity for Chari, while also animating the show. He also storyboarded an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants in 2018.

His creative empire truly formed with Smiling Friends, where he voices Charlie, Glep, and multiple side characters while shaping the series behind the scenes. He later voiced Darryl Barryl in Tig n’ Seek, Reggie Paloni in The Paloni Show, a concerned gym bro in Big City Greens, and a sinner in Hazbin Hotel.

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Smiling Friends is available to watch on Adult Swim.

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