{"id":94205,"date":"2026-10-19T12:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T04:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=94205"},"modified":"2026-10-19T12:22:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T04:22:01","slug":"the-simpsons-apu-has-finally-spoken-on-the-show-for-the-first-time-in-almost-a-decade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=94205","title":{"rendered":"The Simpsons\u2019 Apu Has Finally Spoken on the Show for the First Time in Almost a Decade"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">After some nine years of being seen but not heard on The Simpsons, the show&#8217;s creators have finally given a voice back to beloved Kwik-E-Mart owner, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. In episode three of the series&#8217; 38th season dubbed &#8220;The Revengening&#8221;, which aired Sunday night on Fox in the US, a new voice for the loveable Squishee salesman was debuted courtesy of actor and voice-over veteran, Sunil Malhotra (Grey&#8217;s Anatomy, The Legend of Korra).<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">According to a report on Variety, Malhotra&#8217;s hiring and the return of the Apu character \u2013 who hasn&#8217;t uttered a single word on the show since the October 2017 episode, &#8220;The Serfsons&#8221; \u2013 have been heavily kept under wraps, with producers keeping both the episode&#8217;s table read and its subsequent production under strict NDA for everyone involved. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, Simpsons-y way that allowed him to evolve,&#8221; executive producer Matt Selman told Variety. &#8220;We&#8217;re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><output class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\" data-cy=\"article-slideshow\"><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The Simpsons: Every Treehouse of Horror Episode Ranked <\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img alt=\"Click through to see our ranking of every &quot;Treehouse of Horror&quot; episode from The Simpsons, from Season 2 to Season 35.\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/output><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Hank Azaria previously voiced Apu for the first 29 seasons of the animated series. However, after the character became the focus of the 2017 documentary &#8220;The Problem With Apu&#8221;, in which comedian Hari Kondabolu discussed the negative impact the character has had on people of South Asian descent, Azaria announced that he would no longer lend his voice to the role. Later, during an episode of Dax Shepard&#8217;s Armchair Expert in 2021, Azaria reflected with remorse about his portrayal of the character and stated that part of him &#8220;feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologise.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">After Azaria vacated the role, Apu was pushed to the background on The Simpsons, occasionally seen but never heard. However, after an idea to bring the character back for one of season 38&#8217;s Halloween-themed episodes was hatched by staffer Nick Hahan and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos, the process of finding a new actor for Apu began in earnest. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">\u201cWhen my agent called me about a \u2018Simpsons\u2019 audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink,\u201d Malhotra told Variety. \u201cBut admittedly, part of me was also curious. It had been eight years since Apu had spoken on the show, and it got me thinking: Did the writers\u2019 room look different now? Could they bring him back in a way that acknowledged and apologized for past mistakes? Could I make the character my own, and reclaim him in some way? And could they achieve all of that in an unmistakably \u2018Simpsons\u2019 way that didn\u2019t disappoint fans?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><output class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\" data-cy=\"article-slideshow\"><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">We Build LEGO The Simpsons: Krusty Burger<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img alt=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\" decoding=\"async\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2277167929 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/output><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">After some back and forth with the show&#8217;s producers, Malhotra was eventually convinced that the return of Apu was being handled in the best possible way.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;It was the beginning of a deeply collaborative experience that I hope is equally satisfying for longtime fans of \u2018The Simpsons\u2019 and for other South Asian kids who, like me, stopped watching at some point along the way,&#8221; said Malhotra. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">In &#8220;The Revengening&#8221;, a man in a Daft Punk-inspired Halloween costume is accidentally killed over and over again by residents of Springfield. A year later, the man is still alive and taking his revenge on his would-be killers, one at a time. Eventually the costumed killer is unmasked and revealed to be Apu, who tells the town&#8217;s residents, &#8220;I am the man you left for dead. I am the one you pretended never existed!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">To which Marge, seemingly serving as a mouthpiece for the show&#8217;s producers, replies, &#8220;Apu, we&#8217;re so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, wanted to do the right thing.&#8221; Bart then adds, &#8220;But we were so scared, and just didn&#8217;t know what to do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">For his part, Malhotra seems satisfied with Apu&#8217;s reintroduction to the cast.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">\u201cI\u2019d be lying if I didn\u2019t say that the sweetest part of all was unleashing that righteously rage-fueled \u201cI AM APU!\u201d \u2014 on behalf of so many of us \u2014 over and over in the studio until we got it just right,\u201d said Malhotra. \u201cI really feel like we did and I can\u2019t wait for fans to see more Apu.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Have you watched &#8220;The Revengening&#8221;? What do you think of Sunil Malhotra&#8217;s portrayal of Apu? Is it a thank you, come again? Let us know in the comments!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><output class=\"box-wrapper jsx-2673806401\" data-cy=\"author-sign-off\"><\/p>\n<section class=\"author-sign-off\" data-cy=\"author-sign-off\"><span class=\"stack jsx-59817748 jsx-1927875859\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-444076027 jsx-1730475047 profile-thumb jsx-2141281959 aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-1-1\"><img alt=\"Tristan Ogilvie Avatar\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"progressive-image profile-thumb-img jsx-249361588 jsx-2338608387 expand\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/oyster.ignimgs.com\/social\/avatars\/users\/231675083.jpg?crop=1%3A1&amp;width=56&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 1x, https:\/\/oyster.ignimgs.com\/social\/avatars\/users\/231675083.jpg?crop=1%3A1&amp;width=56&amp;dpr=2&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=80 2x\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"\/><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-2509706801 jsx-3630940851\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"interface jsx-1132626198 sign-off-text\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Tristan Ogilvie is a senior video editor at IGN based in Sydney, Australia. He has 25 years of experience covering video games, having served as Deputy Editor on Official PlayStation 2 Magazine Australia and as Editor of Official Xbox 360 Magazine Australia, before joining IGN in 2009. You can find him on Bluesky @tristanogilvie.bsky.social <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/span><\/section>\n<p><\/output><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<center><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/the-simpsons-apu-has-finally-spoken-on-the-show-for-the-first-time-in-almost-a-decade\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article At Source <\/a><br \/>\n<center\/><br \/>\n<center><script>\n  atOptions = {\n    'key' : 'ab8cc34fbebd96e6c135978b4baca540',\n    'format' : 'iframe',\n    'height' : 90,\n    'width' : 728,\n    'params' : {}\n  };\n<\/script><br \/>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highrevenueformat.com\/ab8cc34fbebd96e6c135978b4baca540\/invoke.js\"><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After some nine years of being seen but not heard on The Simpsons, the show&#8217;s creators have finally given a voice back to beloved Kwik-E-Mart&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[31925,5389,3698,616,2462,12375,654],"class_list":["post-94205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-gadgets-reviews","tag-apu","tag-decade","tag-finally","tag-show","tag-simpsons","tag-spoken","tag-time","wpcat-32-id"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/94206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}