Apu speaks again on ‘The Simpsons’ after nine years of silence, new voice actor replaces Hank Azaria

The Simpsons fan favourite character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon spoke for the first time in nearly a decade on last night’s episode (Sunday October 18). READ MORE: The Simpsons’ silly, subversive video game legacy isn’t done yet Apu was first introduced in 1997 during the episode The Telltale Head, where the Kwik-E-Mart was voiced by Hank Azaria. He went on to play the character for 29 seasons until 2017 documentary The Problem With Apu explored the racist stereotypes behind the portrayal. Apu disappeared into the background after that and in 2020, Azaria confirmed he’d no longer be voicing the character. “What they’re going to do with the character is their call. It’s up to them and they haven’t sorted it out yet. All we’ve agreed on is I won’t do the voice anymore. We all made the decision together. We all agreed on it. We all feel like it’s the right thing and good about it,” he explained. The following year, he apologised for his part in bringing Apu to life. “Part of me feels like I need to go around to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologise, and sometimes I do when it comes up.” During last night’s episode of The Simpsons, Apu returned in a speaking r...