It’s no secret “The Simpsons’ can sometimes tread on controversial issues, but after months of debate, one of the show’s producers confirmed to IndieWire that they will be axing the character Apu from the show.
The producer revealed that they will “drop the Apu character altogether” to avoid controversy. The popular animated show came under scrutiny over its portrayal of convenience store Kwik-owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, voiced by actor Hank Azaria, who first appeared on the show in 1990.
The character also came under fire after comedian Hari Kondabolu released a documentary in November 2017 titled “The Problem With Apu,” where he explained how the character and his thick Indian accent was based on hurtful stereotypes.
“Everything with Apu is like this running joke,” Kondabolu told the New York Times. “And the running joke is that he’s Indian.”
Despite the backlash, Simpsons creator Matt Groening previously expressed his unwillingness to scrap the character.
“I love the character, and it makes me feel bad that it makes other people feel bad. But on the other hand, it’s tainted now — the conversation, there’s no nuance to the conversation now. It seems very, very clunky.”
Adi Shankar, one of the producers of the show, sees the decision of scrapping Apu as a mistake.
“If you are a show about cultural commentary and you are too afraid to comment on the culture, especially when it’s a component of the culture you had a hand in creating, then you are a show about cowardice,” Shankar said.
Are you sad to see the character go?
By: Maytinee Kramer
