Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Kayleigh Donaldson | TV | October 19, 2026
For about nine years now, one of the most popular characters on The Simpsons has been missing. Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart, has been side-lined. In 2017, comedian Hari Kondabolu's documentary The Problem with Apu delved into the character's history as a South Asian stereotype and the problems of having him voiced by a white man, Hank Azaria. While the show initially responded in a needlessly snarky manner, Azaria announced in 2020 that he would step away from playing the part.
It was part of a wave of reckoning over white actors voicing people of colour and the intrinsically racist nature of doing so. Most of these characters saw a change-up in performers. Kahn from King of the Hill is now voiced by Ronny Chieng. Leo Wong in Futurama was replaced by Feodor Chin. But Apu was kept out of the spotlight. Until last night.
Apu and his wife Manjula will now be voiced by Sunil Malhotra and Janina Gavankar. You may recognize Malhotra for his voice work in shows like The Legend of Korra and Regular Show. Gavankar has been in everything from The League to True Blood to The Morning Show, and she has a strong back-catalogue of video game performances.
The pair made their debuts on the episode Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening. Their arrival was kept under wraps, with reviewers not being sent advanced screeners.
For Malhotra, a voice actor veteran, he had mixed feelings about auditioning for Apu. As he told Variety, "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. 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?" He also met with showrunner Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos before accepting the role, saying it was "a deeply collaborative experience."
Better late than never but I'm glad we got this recast. Now, let Malhotra have a monologue as hilarious as Apu's rant over Principal Skinner's Jurassic Park rip-off!
