Just when Simpsons voice Hank Azaria seemed to turn a corner on the Apu controversy, creator Matt Groening drags us right back. The longtime producer accuses viewers of “pretending” the character is more offensive than they actually believe.
Days after The Simpsons tried to address criticisms of Apu, showrunners have acknowledged their mistake. Writer Al Jean promises the long-running animated comedy will find a better way to address the character’s controversial history, and hopefully stay “popular.”
As often as The Simpsons predicts reality, America’s favorite family can sometimes make their own. Such is the case with a perfectly cromulent new addition to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, dating all the way back to a 1996 Simpsons episode.
Thousands of years from now, alien archaeologists will come to one inescapable conclusion: The Simpsons dictated humanity’s every advance. The latest evidence is none other than today’s giant Disney-Fox merger, which America’s favorite family jokingly predicted in 1998.
Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon has long-influenced stereotypes about people from India, so much so that comedian Hari Kondabolu made a full documentary about The Problem With Apu. Now, character voice Hank Azaria admits the controversy is “a lot to think about,” as well that producers have considered potential measures in response.
The Simpsons reached another milestone in its advanced age with the dismissal of 27-year composer Alf Clausen, but the series’ orchestral future has gotten even murkier. Representatives now claim the Emmy-winning Clausen will have an “ongoing role,” though his orchestra has apparently been dismissed.