SPOILER ALERT: This article contains major spoilers for the Oct. 18 episode of “The Simpsons,” “The Revengening,” which aired Sunday night on Fox.
“The Simpsons” has pulled off its own October surprise: Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is back. The fan favorite character finally spoke again for the first time in nearly a decade on Sunday night’s episode, “The Revengening.” Variety has exclusively learned who is behind Apu’s new voice: actor and voice-over vet Sunil Malhotra (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Legend of Korra”).
Malhotra’s hiring and the return of Apu — who has been seen, but not heard on “The Simpsons” since the October 2017 episode “The Serfsons” — was a closely guarded secret inside “The Simpsons” universe. Fox didn’t share a screener for “The Revengening,” and producers kept both the episode’s table read and its subsequent production under tight protocols (including NDAs for all involved).
Also heard on Sunday’s episode was the debut of Janina Gavankar (“The Morning Show”) as Apu’s wife, Manjula. And now that Apu is back and the Kwik-E-Mart has reopened, executive producer Matt Selman said both characters and the Nahasapeemapetilon family will once again be seen (and heard) on “The Simpsons” more often.
“We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, ‘Simpsons’-y way that allowed him to evolve,” Selman said. “We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.”
Hank Azaria previously voiced Apu, a character that has been controversial over the years due to its stereotypical portrayal of a South Asian convenience store clerk. The issue of Apu was the centerpiece of the 2017 documentary “The Problem With Apu,” in which comedian Hari Kondabolu discussed the impact the character has had on people of South Asian descent.
After that doc made waves — including in “The Simpsons” writers’ room, where it was screened and discussed — Azaria announced that he would no longer voice Apu. “I apologize for my part in creating that and participating in that,” Azaria said in 2021 on Dax Shepard’s podcast “Armchair Expert.” “Part of me feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize. And sometimes I do.”
In the aftermath, Apu was shifted to the background on “The Simpsons,” as producers decided how to handle the character going forward. For years, that meant Apu would still occasionally be seen in Springfield, but never heard.
Until now. The idea of bringing back Apu this way, as one of this year’s Halloween-themed episodes, came from staffer Nick Dahan (who’s the credited writer on “The Revengening”) and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos. After hearing their pitch, Selman said he thought it was “a brilliant way” to bring Apu back and reference the entire situation.
Voice actor Malhotra said he took time to look into what it would mean to take over Apu and talked to the producers to make sure the character was more culturally appropriate.
“When my agent called me about a ‘Simpsons’ audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink,” he said. “But admittedly, part of me was also curious. It had been eight years since Apu had spoken on the show, and it got me thinking: Did the writers’ room look different now? Could they bring him back in a way that acknowledged and apologized for past mistakes? Could I make the character my own, and reclaim him in some way? And could they achieve all of that in an unmistakably ‘Simpsons’ way that didn’t disappoint fans?
“Whether the producers knew it or not, I was prepared to walk away,” he continued. Malhotra said that he declined his very first “professional job offer 28 years ago” because it would have required him to play a stereotypical “Hindu guy,” adding that playing such a caricature “to be the butt of the joke wasn’t something I was willing to do, and I’ve turned down similar work multiple times since.”
But as Malhotra got further down the road with “The Simpsons,” he said, he began engaging with the producers about their plans for Apu before he would commit to the role, where he was promised that the return of Apu was being handled with the utmost care.
“My callback was the first of many times that no one at ‘The Simpsons’ let me down,” he said. “I told casting that I’d only consider an offer if I could meet showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos, both of whom gladly did so. 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.”
In “The Revengening,” a spooky lead-up to next week’s “Treehouse of Horror XXXVII,” a man in a “Daft Monk” Halloween costume (as in, a Daft Punk helmet and monastic robe — wordplay!) is accidentally killed over and over again by Springfield residents all over town. A year later, “Daft Monk” is still alive, and getting his revenge by taking out his would-be killers, one by one.
Eventually “Daft Monk” summons the townspeople to Springfield City Hall, where he takes his helmet off and reveals that he’s actually Apu.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the sweetest part of all was unleashing that righteously rage-fueled “I AM APU!” — on behalf of so many of us — over and over in the studio until we got it just right,” Malhotra said. “I really feel like we did and I can’t wait for fans to see more Apu.”
Apu then shares his backstory: After he was nearly killed dozens of times, he wound up on “The Island of Forgotten Garbage,” where he’s healed by “The Simpsons” quack Dr. Nick (who also has been seen sparingly in recent years, and is now voiced by Eric Lopez, who previously also took over as Bumblebee Man).
“All the junk Springfield gets rid of winds up here,” he tells Apu, “like you … If you wound up here, it’s for a reason, right, Leon?” (Out pops the character that Michael Jackson played in the Season 3 episode “Stark Raving Mad,” which was pulled from “Simpsons” rotation in 2019 after the doc “Leaving Neverland” showcased more allegations against the late pop star.)
Says Apu before he reveals himself: “I am the man you left for dead. I am the one you pretended never existed!”
Then, unmasked, he tells the Springfield crowd: “It would have been so easy to bring me back. I immediately ran home to my family, but they were gone. Then I went to the Kwik-E-Mart, and was shocked to find it abandoned. As I wandered aimlessly through town, no one even noticed me. It was as if I was invisible. That was when I vowed to take my revenge on Springfield.”
He’s about to light City Hall on fire, but Marge Simpson pipes up — representing the Springfield citizens, but also clearly serving as a mouthpiece for the show’s producers: “Apu, we’re so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, we wanted to do the right thing.”
Bart adds: “But we were so scared, and just didn’t know what to do.”
Lenny also chimes in, in a nod to the debates inside “The Simpsons” writers’ room: “If it’s any consolation, we had so many internal conversations about it.”
But, Carl finishes, “Ahh, they kind of just didn’t go anywhere.” (And for almost a decade, that’s how “The Simpsons” never got around to bringing back Apu.)
Homer then offers to sacrifice himself to save the rest of the town, and offers this penance to Apu, while reminding viewers how important Apu has been to the makeup of Springfield: “I’m just doing what the old Apu would have done. The guy who loved this town and everyone in it. You were on our bowling teams, our barbershop quartets, our dad rock cover bands. We took you for granted. I took you for granted.”
But before Apu can blow up the town, he wakes up. It turns out it was a nightmare; no one is dead. He’s back in the Kwik E-Mart, and Manjula is there too. So is his No. 1 customer, Homer, who invites him to a Halloween party.
“What the heck? I’ll do it,” Apu says. “A Halloween party sounds kind of fun. Plus, I feel like I haven’t seen everyone in ages. Oh, but I wish I had a costume.”
But he actually does: There’s a “Daft Monk” costume stashed under the cash register. So was it really a dream? And that’s the end of the episode — but Apu is back!
This isn’t the first time “The Simpsons” writers used their characters to allude to their indecisiveness on what to do with Apu. In the 2018 episode “No Good Read Goes Unpunished,” Marge begins reading her favorite childhood novel to Lisa, but quickly realizes the old book was a lot more offensive and racist than she remembered. She tries to sanitize it, but “now it’s as inoffensive as a Sunday in Cincinnati … what am I supposed to do?”
Lisa then looks at the audience, seemingly addressing “Simpsons” fans: “It’s hard to say. Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?”
The scene pulls back to reveal a photo of Apu near Lisa’s bed, and it’s obvious they’re no longer talking about a book, but their own show. With Marge also looking straight at viewers, the two suggest that “Some things will be dealt with at a later date … if at all.” (It should be noted that Apu and his children also appeared in the episode, but did not speak.)
In June 2020, during the post-George Floyd reckoning on race, “The Simpsons” announced that moving forward, its characters of color would be voiced by culturally appropriate actors. Among the major changes, Alex Désert took over as Carl Carlson from Azaria, and Kevin Michael Richardson (who had already been a part of the series cast) became Dr. Julius Hibbert, which was previously Harry Shearer. Now, Apu, with Malhotra taking over, joins that list as well.
And for several years, the creative team promised that they would address Apu at some point. In 2021, series creator Matt Groening told USA Today that the producers were first seeing if they could make new Apu stories work. “I think the Apu stories are fantastic, and he’s one of the most nuanced characters on a silly two-dimensional cartoon show,” Groening said in the interview.
Early reactions on social media about the return of Apu has already been positive: “Apu is back thank you Simpsons,” said one. Another: “The Simpsons reveals the new voice for Apu. Representation for Indian Americans. Well played Matt Groening and Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Harry Shearer, Julie Kavner and Yeardley Smith.” Wrote a third: “Apu reveal is the greatest thing to happen on the Simpsons in a long time. I missed that genius character!”
Meanwhile, Malhotra and Gavankar jointly posted this reveal on their Instagram pages:
Malhotra’s recent voice credits include “The Legend of Vox Machina,” “The Loud House,” “Monster High,” “The Casagrandes” and “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.” He’s also been heard on video games including “Mortal Kombat 1,” “Avatar: The Last Airbender – Quest of Balance” and “Marvel’s Avengers.” In TV, besides “Grey’s Anatomy,” he’s also appeared on “ER,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “MacGyver” and “Maron.”