For the longest time, it has not been clear whether The Simpsons will bring back Apu, but Hank Azaria’s recent comments imply that this plan can never happen. Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a deeply divisive character. Played by Hank Azaria, the Indian American store owner was a major recurring character in The Simpsons throughout the show’s first three decades on the air. In 2017, comedian Hari Kondabolu released the documentary The Problem With Apu, which focused on the impact that Apu had on Indian-American representation in media. While South Park soon produced an episode addressing this controversy, the creators of The Simpsons were slower to comment.
As of The Simpsons season 34, Apu has not appeared in a speaking role for over half a decade. The Simpsons season 29, episode 1, “The Serfsons,” marked Apu’s last voiced appearance in the series, although he did appear as a background character in later outings. However, in recent seasons, The Simpsons has stopped including Apu even in crowd scenes, and the odds of his return don’t seem promising. Azaria was interviewed by Kondabolu in May 2023 and his comments imply that the character’s future is set in stone. Although some viewers may have thought Apu’s extended vacation might eventually end, this is not looking likely.
Hank Azaria Regrets Playing Apu On The Simpsons
Hank Azaria has finally spoken out about the character and his impact in NPR’s Code Switch podcast. Per Azaria, “Through my role in Apu and what I created in Hollywood messaging… I helped to create a pretty marginalizing, dehumanizing stereotype.” While The Simpsons season 34 revisits many classic outings of the long-running series, the grave tone of these comments heavily implies that Azaria has no interest in reprising the role of Apu. While it is possible that Apu could be voiced by a new actor upon his eventual return, even this seems unlikely now that his voice actor has conceded that the character himself reinforced negative stereotypes.
For a long time, it seemed possible that a new voice actor could take over Azaria’a role as Apu. After all, this is how The Simpsons handled the recasting of both Dr. Hibbert and Drederick Tatum. Hibbert was originally played by Harry Shearer but was replaced by Kevin Michael Richardson from 2021 onwards. Tatum, meanwhile, was an obvious parody of Mike Tyson originally played by Azaria. Around the same time that Azaria stopped playing Apu, Tatum’s voice actor was recast as Jay Pharaoh, the comedian, impressionist, and actor famous for his time on Saturday Night Live.
Matt Groening’s Plan For Apu Is Likely Dead
In The Simpsons season 34, original series creator Matt Groening doesn’t play as big a role as he once did behind the scenes. However, Groening did still create The Simpsons and, if he wanted Apu back, he could make this happen. In 2021 Groening said he planned to do just that while promoting the 700th episode of The Simpsons. Speaking to USA Today, Groening said “We’ve got plans for Apu, but we have to see if we can make the stories work. We’re working on something kind of ambitious. That’s all I can say.”
However, even if the character was voiced by a new actor, Azaria’s comments seemingly concede that it was Apu’s characterization itself that caused the problem. Since the issue is rooted in Apu himself and not his actor, replacing Azaria will a more appropriate alternative likely wouldn’t work for The Simpsons. Admittedly, it is unclear whether this was the ambitious plan that Groening was talking about. However, the fact that there have been no updates on this strategy in the two years since the creator’s comments is telling. Since The Simpsons season 34’s cameos didn’t include a comeback from Apu, there is no reason to think he will return in the future.
The Simpsons Couldn’t Repeat Another Cartoon Comedy’s Strategy
Big Mouth replaced Jenny Slate’s Missy with Ayo Edebiri’s take on the character, a decision that seemingly offered The Simpsons a template to follow when it came to replacing white actors playing characters of color. However, Edebiri was already a creative force in Big Mouth, working as a writer before voicing Missy. Furthermore, Missy is a main character, so Big Mouth could focus on this change for a full-season arc. Finally, critics felt Missy’s racial identity was under-explored/ignored in earlier seasons of Big Mouth, whereas the complaints about Apu were rooted in accusations that the character’s entire person was based on offensive stereotypes.
As such, it would be next to impossible for The Simpsons to copy Big Mouth’s approach when it comes to Apu. It also doesn’t help that Big Mouth is a minor cult hit for Netflix, whereas The Simpsons is one of the longest-running and most famous shows in television history. As dark as The Simpsons can get at times, the show can’t laugh off this controversy any time soon. Luckily, The Simpsons still has a massive cast of iconic characters to pull from.
Sources: USA Today, NPR
