With the character having been the subject of much controversy in recent times, particularly since the release of Hary Kondabolu’s documentary The Problem with Apu back in 2017, The Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria has revealed that he will no longer be lending his voice to Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
“All we know there is I won’t be doing the voice anymore, unless there’s some way to transition it or something,” Azaria told SlashFilm when asked about Apu’s future on the long-running animated sitcom. “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. We all made the decision together. We all agreed on it. We all feel like it’s the right thing and good about it.”
As SlashFilm notes, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening was reported to have told a fan at a convention that Apu would remain a part of the show’s cast of characters, and so at this point it’s a little unclear whether the producers intend on recasting the role, or if Apu is going to become more of a silent background character. That is of course assuming that The Simpsons continues for much longer, with rumours circulating frequently in recent times that Disney could call time on the beloved series after acquiring the property during its Fox acquisition.
