Hank Azaria Will No Longer Voice Apu on ‘The Simpsons’

The Simpsons star Hank Azaria is officially done voicing the character of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. In a new interview with Slash Film, the actor revealed that he is stepping aside after years of controversy over the character, who many believe depicts negative stereotypes about South Asians and Indian-Americans. While it’s possible that Apu could still appear in The Simpsons, Azaria says that he “won’t be doing the voice anymore, unless there’s some way to transition it.”

While speaking with Slash Film this week, Azaria revealed that he will no longer be voicing the character of Apu, the owner of Springfield’s Kwik-E-Mart. “All we know there is I won’t be doing the voice anymore, unless there’s someway to transition it or something,” he said after a Brockmire panel at the 2020 Television Critics Association press tour. “What they’re going to do with the character is their call. It’s up to them and they haven’t sorted it out yet. All we’ve agreed on is I won’t do the voice anymore.”

Azaria added that he made the decision to retire as Apu’s voice actor after consulting with Simpsons bosses Matt Groening and Al Jean. “We all made the decision together,” he said. “We all agreed on it. We all feel like it’s the right thing and good about it.”

The Simpsons‘ Apu controversy first started in 2017, when comedian Hari Kondabolu released a documentary titled The Problem with Apu. Over the last few years, Groening and Azaria have attempted to address the backlash in various ways, including inserting it into the show (the April 2018 episode “No Good Read Goes Unpunished” alludes to the controversy). That same month, Azaria told Stephen Colbert that he was “perfectly willing and happy to step aside, or help transition it into something new.” It took almost two years, but that promise has finally become a reality.

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