Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the Kwik-E-Mart owner who had been silent on The Simpsons for nearly a decade, spoke again in the show's latest Halloween episode. The character, voiced for 29 seasons by Hank Azaria, had not uttered a line since the October 2017 episode «The Serfsons» after Azaria stepped away from the role amid criticism that the character perpetuated stereotypes of South Asian people.
In the third episode of the show's 38th season, titled «The Revengening,» which aired Sunday on Fox, actor and voice-over veteran Sunil Malhotra debuted as Apu. According to a report in Variety, the hiring and the character's return were kept under strict wraps, with producers requiring everyone involved in the table read and production to sign non-disclosure agreements. Executive producer Matt Selman said the creative team loves the character and wanted to bring him back «in a smart, Simpsons-y way that allowed him to evolve.» Selman added that the show is excited by what Malhotra has already brought to the role and looks forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.
The decision to reintroduce Apu followed a long period in which the character was pushed to the background, occasionally seen but never heard. The push to bring him back began when staffer Nick Hahan and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos developed an idea for one of the season's Halloween-themed episodes, which set off the search for a new actor. Malhotra told Variety that when his agent called about a Simpsons audition, he knew exactly which role it was for and that the idea made his stomach sink, though part of him was also curious. He wondered whether the writers' room looked different after eight years, whether the show could bring Apu back in a way that acknowledged and apologized for past mistakes, and whether he could make the character his own.
After some back and forth with producers, Malhotra said he was convinced the return was being handled in the best possible way. He described the experience as deeply collaborative and said he hopes it is equally satisfying for longtime fans and for other South Asian kids who, like him, stopped watching at some point. In the episode, a man in a Daft Punk-inspired Halloween costume is accidentally killed over and over again by Springfield residents. A year later, the man is still alive and takes revenge on his would-be killers one at a time. The costumed killer is eventually unmasked as Apu, who tells the town, «I am the man you left for dead. I am the one you pretended never existed!» Marge responds, «Apu, we're so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, wanted to do the right thing.» Bart adds, «But we were so scared, and just didn't know what to do.»
The exchange reads as the show's own acknowledgment of the controversy that led to Apu's silence. Azaria, who had voiced the character since the series began, announced he would no longer play the role after the 2017 documentary «The Problem With Apu,» in which comedian Hari Kondabolu discussed the negative impact the character had on people of South Asian descent. In a 2021 appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, Azaria reflected with remorse on his portrayal, saying part of him «feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologise.» Malhotra said the sweetest part of the experience was unleashing the «righteously rage-fueled» line «I AM APU!» in the studio on behalf of many people until the team got it just right. He said he cannot wait for fans to see more of Apu.