The Simpsons may not have the same cultural clout as it once did but it is still making headlines after 30 years of somehow staying on the air. The most recent thing that’s kept the show in the public consciousness revolves around Apu and the issue of negative racial stereotypes.
Apu has been voiced by Hank Azaria, who is a white man, since the show’s 1989 debut, but the character has come under greater scrutiny following the release of Hari Kondabolu’s documentary, The Problem With Apu, which explores how people of Indian and South Asian heritage faced discrimination due to how Apu is portrayed in The Simpsons.
Following rumours that Apu may be retired from The Simpsons and a lot of mixed messages from showrunner Al Jean and creator Matt Groening, Hank Azaria has now said that he’ll no longer be voicing the character.
Talking to SlashFilm, Azaria has confirmed that he’s retired his Apu voice and that it was a mutual decision between him and the Simpsons producers.
“All we know there is I won’t be doing the voice anymore, unless there’s someway to transition it or something.
“We all made the decision together. We all agreed on it. We all feel like it’s the right thing and good about it.”
This is simply great news. No disrespect to Hank Azaria, who was sympathetic to those who thought Apu was perpetrating negative stereotypes, but it was always weird that the character was voiced by a white man rather than a South Asian person.
Given the cultural shift over the last few years and the need for The Simpsons to stay relevant after so many years, Azaria gracefully stepping aside is a positive step for all.
As for what will happen to Apu, Azaria says that it’s all out of his hands now and that the character’s future is up to the Simpsons producers.
“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.”
Sounds like the producers could cast a new South Asian actor who could give Apu a new voice or he could be written out of The Simpsons in a worst case scenario, which would be a pretty sad end for the beloved character.
After being a Simpsons fan for decades, this was a great decision from the producers and Hank Azaria to (hopefully) give Apu a new voice as it shows that the Indian and South Asian community has been heard and steps are being taken to make things better.
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