Azaria apologizes for Apu
Voice actor ‘perfectly willing to step aside’ over controversy
Hank Azaria is willing to “step aside” from The Simpsons after the controversy his portrayal of Indian shop clerk Apu has caused.
Azaria, 54, voices Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, as well as Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum and many other characters, in the hit animated series. But his portrayal has been marked by controversy since standup comedian Hari Kondabolu criticized the character’s representation — such as his over-the-top accent and exaggerated mannerisms — in the documentary The Problem With Apu.
Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, Azaria addressed the controversy.
“I’m perfectly willing to step aside. It just feels like the right thing to do, to me,” he said, adding it was never his intention to offend anyone with the portrayal. “I’ve given this a lot of thought, and as I say my eyes have been opened.”
Apologizing to anyone who was “hurt and offended” by his depiction of Apu, he said: “The idea (of ) anyone young or old, past or present, being bullied based on Apu really makes me sad.”
The Simpsons attempted to address the controversy in the recent episode No Good Read Goes Unpunished, when Marge Simpson tries to alter a book to make it less offensive as she reads to daughter Lisa. Lisa then addresses the camera and says: “Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?”
But many took to social media to criticize the way writers had handled the issue, and Azaria said he had nothing to do with the decision about how to broach the subject.
“I had nothing to do with the writing or the voicing (in that episode),” he said. “I think if anyone came away from that segment thinking they need to lighten up ... that’s definitely not the message that I want to send.”
And to change things going forward, Azaria said he’d love to see “Indian, South Asian writers in the writers room.”
After Azaria’s Late Show interview, Kondabolu praised him on Twitter: “Thank you, @HankAzaria. I appreciate what you said & how you said it.”