Azaria apologizes for ‘Apu’
Hank Azaria wants to apologize for his portrayal of an Indian character on “The Simpsons.”
For about three decades, Azaria was the voice of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, an Indian immigrant who runs a convenience store on the Fox long-running animated comedy.
Last year he announced he would no longer portray the character amid criticism that Apu’s voice reinforced racial stereotypes.
This week, speaking with actor and podcast host Dax Shepard in the latest episode of “Armchair Expert,” Azaria opened up about his journey to understanding why the character is problematic and why his portrayal was seen as offensive.
“I needed to look at my part. I went and learned,” he told Shepard and cohost Monica Padman.
“I read, and I talked to people. I talked to a lot of Indian people. I talked to a lot of people who knew a lot about racism. I took seminars.”
Saying that he was unaware about how much “relative advantage” he’d received as a white kid from Queens,” Azaria said that he didn’t think about “this stuff because I never had to.”
“There were very good intentions on all of our parts. We tried to do a funny, thoughtful character. Just because there were good intentions doesn’t mean there weren’t real negative consequences to the thing that I am accountable for,” he said.
Azaria then apologized to Padman, who’s Indian American.
“I really do apologize. It’s important,” he said. “I apologize for my part in creating that and participating in that. Part of me feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize. And sometimes I do.”
Azaria has won four
Emmy awards for outstanding voice-over performance for his work on the show — which includes a number of different characters, such as Moe’s Tavern owner Moe Szyslak, chief of police Clancy Wiggum and Apu, who runs Kwik-e-mart and speaks with an exaggerated and stereotypical accent.
— New York Daily News
“Bachelor” Underwood comes out as gay
“Bachelor” star Colton Underwood is “proud to be gay.”
The former football player came out as gay Wednesday morning in a candid interview with “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts, during which he recalled the “suicidal thoughts” that prompted him to “take back control” of his life and accept his full identity.
“I’ve ran from myself for
a long time. I’ve hated myself for a long time,” he told Roberts, adding that he was “still nervous” to go public with his sexuality. “And I’m gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know . ... It’s been a journey for sure.”
During their conversation, Underwood opened up about how his Catholic upbringing caused him to believe that being gay is a sin and pray to God to “change him” and “take the gay away.” Now the “Bachelor” fan favorite said he feels a closer connection to God that is no longer “conditional.”
“I think there’s a lot of things, when I look back, I’m like, ‘No wonder I held it in,’” he said.
Underwood also reflected on his “Bachelor” past while thanking and apologizing to the women he met on the show. He first appeared on the 14th season of “The Bachelorette,” which saw him advance to Becca Kufrin’s final four suitors in 2018, before leading the 23rd season of “The Bachelor” in 2019.
Season 23 saw Underwood present his “final rose” to Cassie Randolph. Though he didn’t propose marriage to Randolph at the end of the show, the two dated outside the ABC program before splitting in 2020. (After their high-profile breakup, Randolph filed a restraining order against Underwood that she later dropped. According to a statement from Underwood, the pair resolved the situation privately.)
CBS News President Zirinsky stepping down
CBS News President Susan Zirinsky is stepping down after two years on the job, making it the second of the three broadcast news divisions to lose its leader in the past couple of months.
Zirinsky told CBS News staff at the network’s morning news meeting on Wednesday, according to someone there who spoke on condition of anonymity because it was an internal gathering.
“I am absolutely not leaving CBS,” said Zirinsky, a longtime news producer at the network, said at the meeting. It was unclear how long the transition will take place.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Zirinsky is expected to sign a deal to produce content for CBS News.