The Simpsons star Hank Azaria quits as voice of Apu following recent controversy
Controversial character has recently been accused of reinforcing racial stereotypes
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Your support makes all the difference.The Simpsons actor Hank Azaria has quit as the voice of Apu after recent accusations that the character is racist.
Azaria – a white man – has voiced the Indian shopkeeper for 30 years, but his depiction came under fire in a 2017 documentary titled The Problem With Apu.
The documentary saw comedian Hari Kondabolu investigate why the character was problematic and a racial stereotype.
Following its broadcast, the long-running series' creator Matt Groening said that the character would not be written out of the show.
But that same year, Azaria stated he would be willing to step down as it would be “the right thing to do”.
Azaria, 55, has now confirmed his time as Apu is done.
He told Slashfilm: ”All we know is I won’t be doing the voice anymore, unless there’s some way to transition it or something.”
He added: “We all made the decision together – we all agreed on it. We all feel like it’s the right thing and good about it.”
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