Apu Nahasapeemapetilon has spoken on “The Simpsons” for the first time in nearly a decade. The show creators gave him a new voice, Sunil Malhotra.
Malhotra made his debut as the Kwik-E-Mart owner in Sunday night’s episode, “The Revengening,” replacing Hank Azaria, who stepped down from the role in 2020 amid criticism that his portrayal of the South Asian character was a racist stereotype.
Apu’s wife, Manjula, also has a new voice actor, Janina Gavankar of The Morning Show.
Malhotra wrote in a joint Instagram post with Gavankar, stating: “Bringing Apu back feels like a reclamation. It truly is his homecoming.”
Azaria welcomed him, commenting: “Wonderful job!”
Apu hadn’t spoken since the 2017 episode “The Serfsons.” The character became the subject of Hari Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu, after which Azaria apologized, saying he felt he needed to “personally apologize” to every Indian person in the country.
Malhotra said he was initially hesitant. “When my agent called me about a Simpsons audition…. The idea actually made my stomach sink,” he said, but he was won over after meeting showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos.
Selman confirmed that Apu and his family will now appear more frequently. “We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, Simpsons-y way that allowed him to evolve,” he said.
