Apu returns to The Simpsons With New Voice Actor

Apu is officially back on The Simpsons.

Nearly 10 years ago, Hank Azaria decided to retire from voicing Apu, an Indian store clerk, after facing criticism for racial stereotyping.

“In order to answer that question, ‘Do I keep doing the voice or not,’ required a deep dive. It wasn’t like, ‘Well, let me take a week and look into this.’ It was probably two or three years because we all froze at ‘The Simpsons,'” Azaria told host Pablo Torre. “We had no idea what to do. The character stopped saying anything, and it became a deep dive into, ‘Well, is this racist? Does Hollywood have a tradition of doing this? In one way or another, am I a part of that?”

On Sunday, Apu returned to The Simpsons, now voiced by Sunil Malhotra, a voice actor of Indian descent. According to Variety, Apu is set to return permanently to The Simpsons.

“The Simpsons” has cast Sunil Malhotra (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Legend of Korra”) as the new voice of Apu, taking over for Hank Azaria:

• Malhotra made his debut in Sunday night’s episode, “The Revengening,” marking the first time Apu has spoken in nearly a decade

• Apu and the Nahasapeemapetilon family will once again be seen (and heard) on “The Simpsons” moving forward

https://t.co/Ov5L02Wn9H

— Variety (@Variety) October 19, 2026

Here are the clips of Apu from Sunday’s show.

Apu’s new voice has been revealed.

It is the first time the character has spoke in almost a decade. https://t.co/HjzHVjaM0S

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 19, 2026