Apu speaks on “The Simpsons” for first time in 8 years with the debut of Hank Azaria’s replacement

Derek LawrenceMon, October 19, 2026 at 6:31 PM UTC

0

Apu on ‘The Simpsons’Credit: FOXThe character was sidelined following backlash for the white actor continuing to voice the Indian Kwik-E-Mart owner.Key Points -

Apu returned to The Simpsons as a speaking character on Sunday.

Hank Azaria previously departed the role following controversy.

Sunil Malhotra is now voicing Apu.

After eight years and a major controversy, Apu is finally speaking again on The Simpsons.

For three decades, Hank Azaria voiced Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, an Indian immigrant who owns Springfield’s Kwik-E-Mart, but then Hari Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary The Problem With Apu criticized the character as a stereotype who was voiced by a white man. Further blowback ensued when the team behind the animated comedy was viewed to be dismissing the issue in a 2018 episode. Azaria stepped away from the role, and since then Apu has been seen but not heard — until Sunday’s “The Revenging.”

In the latest installment of the annual “Treehouse of Horror” series, veteran voice performer Sunil Malhotra (The Legend of Korra, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) made his debut as Apu, while The Morning Show actress Janina Gavankar joined as Apu’s wife, Manjula.

“The Revenging” featured someone in a “Daft Monk” costume being killed over and over again by Springfield residents, before the figure returned a year later to get his revenge on those who harmed him. Upon bringing the Springfield residents together, he reveals himself to be Apu. “I am the man you left for dead,” he declares. “I am the one you pretended never existed!”

Then, in meta-fashion, the Simpsons writers used the Simpson family as their way to apologize to Apu and the audience. Marge says, “Apu, we’re so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, we wanted to do the right thing.” Bart added, “But we were so scared, and just didn’t know what to do.” Homer gets the last word: “We took you for granted. I took you for granted.”

Hank Azaria; Sunil MalhotraCredit: Michael Ostuni/Patrick McMullan via Getty; Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Apu suddenly wakes up from the nightmare. He’s in the Kwik-E-Mart, with Manjula and Homer, and the latter invites him to a Halloween party. A Daft Monk costume is then spotted underneath the register.

“We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, Simpsons-y way that allowed him to evolve,” executive producer Matt Selman told Variety. “We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.”

Advertisement

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

At the height of the controversy in 2018, former Entertainment Weekly writer Piya Sinha-Roy, a dedicated Simpsons fan, spoke of her disappointment in the show.

“Apu himself may not be a racist character, but, again, as the only Indian on prime-time scripted television for years, he was the reason our parents — our dads in particular — were often made fun of,” she wrote. “He was one of the reasons our families were often seen as inferior and dismissed for our cultural differences. And how can South Asian actors fight for an equal shot in Hollywood when Apu continues to be written by non-Indians and voiced by a white guy?”

Malhotra admitted to Variety that he was hesitant to take on Apu and “be the butt of the joke.”

“When my agent called me about a Simpsons audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink,” he confessed. “But admittedly, part of me was also curious. It had been eight years since Apu had spoken on the show, and it got me thinking: Did the writers’ room look different now? Could they bring him back in a way that acknowledged and apologized for past mistakes? Could I make the character my own, and reclaim him in some way? And could they achieve all of that in an unmistakably Simpsons way that didn’t disappoint fans?”

He added of eventually talking to the Simpsons producers and being cast, “It was the beginning of a deeply collaborative experience that I hope is equally satisfying for longtime fans of The Simpsons and for other South Asian kids who, like me, stopped watching at some point along the way.”

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”