Apu returns to 'The Simpsons' with a new voice actor years after controversy over racial stereotypes

The key facts

Apu returned in the episode The Revengening, voiced by Sunil Malhotra; the character had previously been voiced by Hank Azaria since 1990.
The criticism of the portrayal is linked to Hari Kondabolu's documentary 'The Problem with Apu' (2017); Azaria announced his departure in 2020 and later apologized.
Malhotra calls the return a 'reclamation' and a 'homecoming' for the character; Manjula will now be voiced by Janina Gavankar.

A return after nearly a decade of silence

The Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon returned to the screen in Sunday's episode titled The Revengening, speaking for the first time since October 2017 (the episode The Serfsons). Throughout that time, the character appeared in Springfield but without any lines. His return, according to available information, was kept strictly secret. Apu's new voice is actor Sunil Malhotra, who was born in India and raised in the United States, known for Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi and The Legend of Vox Machina. In a statement on Instagram, he called the return a 'reclamation' and said: 'This really is his homecoming.'

Background of the controversy

Apu, a shop clerk, has been in the show since 1990, and was previously voiced by white actor Hank Azaria with a pronounced Indian accent. In 2017, Indian-American comedian Hari Kondabolu released the documentary 'The Problem with Apu,' arguing that the character — a South Asian clerk — was built on racial stereotypes. In 2018, the show addressed the controversy for the first time in one of its episodes, but some viewers considered the response insufficient; others defended the show, pointing out that all of its characters are stereotypes. Azaria announced he was leaving the role in 2020, and later, on Dax Shepard's podcast Armchair Expert, said: 'Part of me feels like I need to go around to every Indian person in this country and personally apologize.' In April 2021, he issued a public apology.

How Malhotra got the role

In an interview with Variety, Malhotra said that when his agent told him about an audition for The Simpsons, he immediately understood which role it was about, and 'the idea made his stomach drop.' At the same time, he felt curiosity: it had been eight years since Apu's last line, and he wondered whether the writers' room had changed. The actor, who also worked on Grey's Anatomy and The Legend of Korra, asked himself whether the writers could bring the character back with an acknowledgment of past mistakes, whether he could make the role his own and 'reclaim' the character, and whether it could be done in a recognizably 'Simpsons' way without disappointing fans. After Apu had remained a background character for years, Malhotra discussed with showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos how to make the return culturally appropriate for 2026. He called the process 'a deeply collaborative experience' and expressed hope that the result would satisfy longtime fans and other South Asian kids who, like him, had at some point stopped watching the show.

The episode's plot and new voices

In the 'creepy' return, the hero appears in a 'Daft Monk' costume (a reference to the duo Daft Punk), whom Springfield residents accidentally kill again and again. A year later, he returns to take revenge, gathers everyone in Springfield's town hall, removes his helmet and turns out to be Apu. He recounts that after dozens of attempts on his life he ended up on the Island of Forgotten Trash, where Dr. Nick healed him, and declares: 'I am the man you left for dead. I am the one whose existence you pretended did not exist.' As he is about to set the town hall on fire, Marge Simpson — acting, as the BBC described, as a thinly veiled mouthpiece for the producers — saves the situation: 'Apu, we are so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, we wanted to do the right thing.' Bart adds: 'But we were so scared and just didn't know what to do,' and Homer offers to sacrifice himself for the town, recalling how important Apu was: 'You were in our bowling teams, our barbershop quartets, our death-rock cover bands. We took you for granted. I took you for granted.' Apu's wife Manjula will now be voiced by Janina Gavankar, known for the series The Morning Show (Apple TV), replacing Jan Hooks and Tress MacNeille.