The Aporia · The Simpsons casts new voice for Apu as character speaks for first time in almost 10 years

The Simpsons casts new voice for Apu as character speaks for first time in almost 10 years

Read the original at Evening Standard ↗

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APA MLA Chicago

Bishop, H. (2026, October 19). The Simpsons casts new voice for Apu as character speaks for first time in almost 10 years. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/the-simpsons-apu-new-voice-sunil-malhotra-b1301455.html

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Quick Summary

The Simpsons has recast its character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon with Sunil Malhotra, who made his debut on October 18. After a silence of nearly ten years following criticism that the character was a harmful stereotype, this episode marks Apu’s return with an apology and an attempt to redefine him positively. Malhotra discusses his concerns about portraying Apu responsibly while appealing to fans and South Asian viewers alike.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-19, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

In 2017, The Simpsons stopped having actor Hank Azaria voice Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, a character criticized for perpetuating South Asian stereotypes. On Sunday, October 18, 2026, the show reintroduced Apu with a new voice actor, Sunil Malhotra, in an episode titled "Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening." This marks Apu's first appearance and dialogue since his departure nearly ten years ago. Malhotra, born in India and raised in the US, has previously acted in shows like ER and House. In a joint Instagram post, the actors celebrated Apu’s return as a "reclamation" for the character. Azaria confirmed in 2020 that he had stopped voicing Apu due to concerns about cultural representation.

Written for “The Simpsons Apu Reimagined” on 2026-10-19, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

19%

3 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

66/100

Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Entertainment

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Holly Bishop

73 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 Voice actor Sunil Malhotra will now portray the fan-favourite character and made his debut on Sunday, October 18, as Apu.

2026-10-19 · assertive framing · The Simpsons casts new voice for Apu as character speaks for first time in almost 10 years

🔮 Susie Riddell, who plays Tracy Horrobin, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she believes the cost of transporting the whole cast and crew down to London will soon exceed the price of building a new studio.

2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Relocating The Archers to London could cost more than building new studio, cast member claims

🔮 The rock band, who last headlined in 2013 for the first edition of the BST event, will perform on Thursday, June 24 as part of their Bon Jovi Forever Tour.

2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Bon Jovi announced as first BST Hyde Park 2027 headliner in ‘full circle moment’

🔮 All three say more about them than they ever will about you.

2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Amy Dowden responds to Brendan Cole's brutal critiques as she stresses importance of 'being kind'

🔮 Maybe the tiny mercy is that we didn’t need them all along.”

2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Cindy Crawford ‘beyond heartbroken’ over death of son Presley in first public statement since tragic death

🔮 Secondly, it was live on TV, so I thought, oh my gosh, my son might be watching, so I just ran.

2026-10-16 · assertive framing · Alison Hammond reveals injury after fall just two weeks after This Morning health scare

🔮 We will treasure our memories forever.

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🔮 The Irish author, 35, previously said she would donate earnings from her books and BBC adaptations of novels to Palestine Action, which has a stated goal of “ending global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime”.

2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Sally Rooney’s books withdrawn from UK over her support of Palestine Action

2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Sally Rooney’s support for Palestine Action prompts UK book withdrawal

🔮 Danny Boyle on why Jack O'Connell would make a great James Bond: 'He's got that darkness to him'

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Also by Holly Bishop

Relocating The Archers to London could cost more than building new studio, cast member claims

2026-10-19 · Evening Standard

Bon Jovi announced as first BST Hyde Park 2027 headliner in ‘full circle moment’

2026-10-19 · Evening Standard

Amy Dowden responds to Brendan Cole's brutal critiques as she stresses importance of 'being kind'

2026-10-19 · Evening Standard

Cindy Crawford ‘beyond heartbroken’ over death of son Presley in first public statement since tragic death

2026-10-19 · Evening Standard

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 73 articles by Holly Bishop →

Narrative

Claims (16 extracted, 3 hedged)

In 2017, Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon uttered his last words on the animated sitcom and has since remained silent. asserted

Nahasapeemapetilon → utter → sitcom

That same year a documentary called The Problem with Apu, detailed the negative impact the stereotypical portrayal of the convenience store owner has on the South Asian community. asserted

portrayal → call → community

Voice actor Sunil Malhotra will now portray the fan-favourite character and made his debut on Sunday, October 18, as Apu. asserted

Malhotra → portray → Apu

Malhotra, who was born in India and then moved to the US as a child, first appeared in “Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening”. asserted

who → bear → Presents

In the episode, Apu finally found his voice again as he was unmasked as a mysterious figure wreaking havoc on his neighbours in the Halloween-themed episode. asserted

he → find → episode

In a joint Instagram post celebrating the return of the characters, the actors said: “Bringing Apu back feels like a reclamation. asserted

Bringing → celebrate → reclamation

Azaria officially confirmed in 2020 that Apu had been dropped from his repertoire of characters on The Simpsons, explaining: “We all made the decision together. asserted

We → confirm → decision

We all agreed on it. asserted

We → agree → it

We all feel like it’s the right thing and [feel] good about it.” asserted

it → feel → it

Malhotra has previously acted in shows such as ER, House and The West Wing, as well as roles in animated series like The Legend Of Korra, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show and Skull Island. asserted

Malhotra → act → Korra

However, he told Deadline that despite his extensive career, his “stomach sunk” when his agent first called him about the role. asserted

agent → tell → role

“It had been eight years since Apu had spoken on the show, and it got me thinking. asserted

me → speak → show

Did the writers room look different now? asserted

room → look → ?

Could they bring him back in a way that acknowledged and apologised for past mistakes? uncertain

that → bring → mistakes

“Could I make the character my own and reclaim him in some way? uncertain

character → make → way

And could they achieve all of that in an unmistakably Simpsons way that didn’t disappoint fans?” Read More He explained he met with showrunner Matt Selman to bring Apu back to life the correct way that would also appeal to South Asian viewers. “I really feel like we did, and I can’t wait for fans to see more Apu.” uncertain

fans → achieve → Apu

The Simpsons casts new voice for Apu as character speaks for first time in almost 10 years

Quick Summary

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Claims (16 extracted, 3 hedged)