via deadline.com

#HankAzaria

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Hank Azaria says he will no longer be voicing the controversial character Apu on The Simpsons. Azaria made the comment in an interview with Slashfilm at the Television Critics Association’s Winter Press Tour following a panel for his IFC show Brockmire.

HE SAID “All we know is I won’t be doing the voice anymore, unless there’s some way to transition it or something,” Azaria told the publication. “We all made the decision together… We all agreed on it. We all feel like it’s the right thing and feel good about it.”

Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, a recurring character in the hit animated series, is an Indian immigrant proprietor who runs the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield. The character has been controversial with accusations that the portrayal is a racist caricature.

In April 2018, Azaria told Stephen Colbert on Late Show, he’s “willing and happy” to step aside as the voice of Apu on The Simpsons, or to help transition the character into “something new,” calling it “the right thing to do, for me.”