Yes, The Simpsons’ Nancy Cartwright is Sabrina Carpenter’s aunt: Bart Simpson’s long-time voice actress recently revealed her connection to the ‘Espresso’ singer in a TikTok

And did you know that, on top of being the pop princess behind this summer’s anthem, “Espresso”, Carpenter was also a voice actress when she was younger? Suddenly her link to Cartwright makes so much more sense.

The “Please Please Please” singer has a new album called Short n’ Sweet coming out on August 23 – but what about her award-winning aunt?

Here’s everything we know about the voice actress who, besides having voiced a whopping nine characters on The Simpsons, has also played other memorable characters like Chuckie Finster from Rugrats and Rufus from Kim Possible.

What is Nancy Cartwright’s background?

Cartwright, 66, was reportedly born in Dayton, Ohio, to Frank and Miriam Cartwright and was raised in nearby Kettering with her five siblings – one of whom is Carpenter’s dad.

She attended Ohio University, where she was on the speech and debate team and later moved to Los Angeles, where she graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles. At UCLA, she became interested in its theatre programme and started taking on voice acting jobs as well as work on stage and in front of the camera, per the university website.

Her mentor was well-known voice actor, Daws Butler

According to her website bio, Cartwright’s professional voice acting journey began with a cold call to the legendary Daws Butler, the voice of Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, and many more iconic characters. After months of mentorship, Butler brought Cartwright along to a recording of The All-New Popeye Hour, in which he played Wimpy, and introduced her to the director and cast as his protégée. The meeting culminated in Cartwright’s first-ever voice acting job – and the rest is history. On her website, Cartwright calls Butler her “coach, mentor, surrogate dad and inspiration”.

What else has Nancy Cartwright done?

She is also a prolific philanthropist. She has contributed to the American Library Association and Make-a-Wish Foundation, among others. She founded the Know More About Drugs Alliance – a non-profit that raises awareness about prescribed opioids and psychotropic drugs, and co-founded Happy House, which focuses on “building better families”. Her website also mentions that she has a podcast coming soon. Ay, caramba! That’s a lot!

What has Sabrina Carpenter said about her aunt, Nancy Cartwright?

The internet might just be finding out about their relationship, but 25-year-old Carpenter has been speaking highly of her aunt for quite a while now. She told Capital FM in 2021 that Cartwright being her aunt was the “coolest thing in the world”, adding in a Wired interview that she has “learned so much just from observing her”. She’s widely quoted as calling her aunt “a woman of many talents”.

Cartwright has also supported Carpenter from very early on in her career. If you scroll back to 2016 on Cartwright’s Instagram, you’ll find the voice actress posted a video of her niece performing. The caption reads: “My gorgeous niece, Sabrina Carpenter, at the Roxy! She is all of 17 – going on 30! She is such a star!!!”

She’s a “megadonor” for Scientology

In 2019, she reportedly donated US$17.5 million to the church, which earned her the status of Diamond Laureate with Honors, per NY Post. Last year, she donated more than US$21 million to the International Association of Scientologists, who bestowed upon her the title of Patron Excalibur with Honors. Cartwright described the honour as the “most beautiful acknowledgement”, per the same publication.

The church has been embroiled in several controversies over the years, including allegedly pressuring its members to donate large amounts in order to advance through its ranks – among other things.