9 Years Later, The Simpsons' Controversial Character Officially Returns

Apu fully returns to The Simpsons in a 'homecoming' episode

In January 2020, Hank Azaria stepped down from voicing one of the most iconic characters on The Simpsons, Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. The actor and the show's writers agreed that the portrayal of Apu was charged with racial stereotypes, and they apologized while the character and his family were quietly moved to the background of the show. On Oct. 18, 2026, in the season 38 episode "The Revengening," Apu officially returned to The Simpsons with a new voice actor.

Sunil Malhotra (The Legend of Vox Machina, Grey's Anatomy) is the new voice of Apu. The actor talked at length with the show's producers to decide how to make the character culturally appropriate and respectful for people of Indian and South Asian heritage. "Whether the producers knew it or not, I was prepared to walk away," Malhotra said in an interview with Variety, remembering how he renounced his first professional job because he was asked to portray a stereotypical Hindu person. But the actor was positively impressed by the showrunners' dedication to handling Apu's return with the utmost care: "It was the beginning of a deeply collaborative experience that I hope is equally satisfying for longtime fans of The Simpsons and for other South Asian kids who, like me, stopped watching at some point along the way."

Apu fully returns to The Simpsons in a distinctively meta episode

The Apu controversy began in 2017 with Indian American comedian Hari Kondabolu's documentary The Problem With Apu, which argued that the character's stereotypical portrayal had been deeply damaging to people of South Asian heritage, to the point that "Apu" began being used as a racial slur. Azaria, who is white, stated that characters of color should be voiced by actors from those communities, so he decided to step down from his role. Meanwhile, Apu became a background character, who made sporadic appearances but never uttered a single word, while the show decided what to do with him.

It took almost nine years, but Apu came back in "The Revengening," a lead-up episode to next week's "Treehouse of Horror XXXVII." In the episode, Apu's story over the past nine years is told in pure Simpsons fashion. A mysterious character called Daft Monk is accidentally nearly killed repeatedly by the citizens of Springfield. After summoning everyone to the City Hall, the character reveals himself as Apu, who tells them how he found himself in a place called The Island of Forgotten Garbage, where "all the junk Springfield gets rid of" ends up. This includes characters like Dr. Nick and Leon (from the infamous Michael Jackson episode).

After Apu accuses Springfield of pretending he never existed and refusing to bring him back, Marge steps up to apologize, acting as a mouthpiece for the show's writers and producers: "Apu, we’re so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, we wanted to do the right thing." Then, Lenny and Carl make a nod to the many debates that went on inside the writers' room over the past decade, which "kind of just didn't go anywhere." At the end of the episode, Apu wakes up in the Kwik-E-Mart next to his wife, Manjula, now voiced by Janina Gavankar (The Morning Show), to find out that it was all a dream. Homer walks in and invites him to a Halloween party.

If there is one thing The Simpsons cannot be accused of, it is being dishonest. The show's staff has always been candid about the hesitation to bring back Apu due to wanting to make sure they had the right stories to tell about the character. Fans are understandably happy about Apu's return, and have reacted positively to Malhotra's casting. "Bringing Apu back feels like a reclamation," the actor wrote in an Instagram post. "It truly is his homecoming."