The character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon was once a beloved character in The Simpsons. However, the character has been sidelined due to criticism about the character perpetuating stereotypes of South Asian people. In 2017, comedian Hari Kondabolu’s documentary, The Problem with Apu, criticized the character and called out the show’s racism. Hank Azaria, the white voice actor who played Apu, stepped down from the role in 2020 after apologizing for his participation in racism. The producers confirmed that The Simpsons would no longer have white voice actors voicing non-white characters. Some characters were recast, but others, like Apu, were simply sidelined. Apu’s final voiced performance came in the season 29 premiere in 2017, and his most recent appearance came in the season 33 episode “Poorhouse Rock,” where he was seen in a video presentation by Bart but did not speak.
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Kwik-E-Mart convenience store owner, was once a beloved character on The Simpsons. However, times have changed, and the character no longer appears in the show’s newer episodes. The reason for this change can be traced back to comedian Hari Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary, The Problem with Apu. The documentary criticized the character for perpetuating stereotypes of South Asian people, called out the show’s racism, and revealed stories of people being bullied with Apu quotes from the show. Kondabolu’s documentary received widespread praise, but The Simpsons team did not take it well.
In 2018, The Simpsons aired the episode “No Good Read Goes Unpunished,” in which Marge discovers a childhood book she loved contains offensive content. She and Lisa then look at a picture of Apu, and Lisa comments, “Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive, is now politically incorrect. What can you do?” The Simpsons creator Matt Groening was not happy with the criticism, saying in an interview that “people love to pretend they’re offended” in our culture. Similarly, Mike Reiss, a writer and producer for The Simpsons, called The Problem with Apu a “nasty little documentary” in his memoir.
The controversy ultimately led to Hank Azaria, the white voice actor who played Apu, stepping down from the role in 2020. The show has not announced whether the character will be recast or written out of the show entirely. The Apu situation demonstrates how cultural attitudes can change over time and how once-beloved characters can become problematic.
In 2020, Hank Azaria, the white voice actor who played Apu in The Simpsons, stepped down from the role after criticism from comedian Hari Kondabolu’s documentary, The Problem with Apu. Azaria apologized for “participation in racism, or at least in a racist practice or in structural racism, as it relates to show business or … all the above.” The producers confirmed that The Simpsons would no longer have white voice actors voicing non-white characters. Some characters, like Carl, were recast, but others, like Apu, were simply sidelined.
Apu’s final voiced performance came in the season 29 premiere in 2017. His most recent appearance came in the season 33 episode “Poorhouse Rock,” where he was seen in a video presentation by Bart but did not speak. It’s disappointing that The Simpsons has severely sidelined Apu, and it’s unclear whether no voice actor of South Asian origin is willing to step up and voice the character, or if the show is still stinging from The Problem with Apu. If the show were to use Apu going forward, it should tackle the issue head-on rather than sidestepping it.
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