Howard and Harold McBride

Howard and Harold McBride
The Loud House characters
Howard (left) and Harold (right) with Clyde
First appearance	"Overnight Success"
Created by	Chris Savino
Voiced by	Michael McDonald (Howard) Wayne Brady (Harold)
Information
Nickname(s)	Howie (Howard) Hare-Bear (Harold)
Spouse(s)	Each-other
Children	Clyde McBride (adopted son)
Nationality	American

Howard and Harold McBride are a pair of supporting fictional characters in the American animated series The Loud House, created by Chris Savino. They are respectively voiced by comedians Michael McDonald and Wayne Brady. Their first physical appearance was in "Overnight Success," following several episodes in which they were only mentioned. The McBrides are the first married same-sex couple to be depicted on a Nickelodeon cartoon.

Howard and Harold are the adoptive fathers of Clyde McBride, who is a main character and the best friend of protagonist Lincoln Loud. They shower Clyde with attention and rarely let him do anything unsupervised. Howard is sensitive and neurotic, often getting over-emotional while watching Clyde grow up. Harold's parenting style contrasts with Howard's; he is calm, collected, and concerned with Clyde's safety and health above everything else. The McBrides serve as foils to Lincoln's less worrisome parents.

The characters have been met with praise from television critics and fans for being a positive representation of a married same-sex couple. Positive reviews of the series have also called attention to the lack of focus placed on their sexual orientations, as well as their depiction as fit and capable LGBT parents. The characters' portrayals have received accolades and nominations from organizations including GLAAD, NAMIC, and South Florida Gay News. They have also been met with criticism from the American Family Association, a conservative media group.

Howard and Harold are helicopter parents to Clyde and tend to be overprotective of him. Howard feels the need to protect Clyde at all times and never lets him out of sight, unless he is with Lincoln or at school. Howard is also sensitive and overemotional, often needing Harold to calm him down when he gets worked up. Harold's demeanor is the opposite; he is straightforward and even-tempered. Both of the McBrides have a fondness for cats and have adopted two, Cleopawtra and Nepurrtiti (named after Cleopatra and Nefertiti, two Egyptian queens). Their surname is ironic because a bride is a newlywed woman, but they are two married men.