The Simpsons says it will stop using white actors to voice characters of colour

News of the decision came less than an hour after a white actor announced he'd no longer voice an African American character on fellow Fox animated comedy Family Guy.

Apu from the animated series The Simpsons.

Apu from the animated series The Simpsons. Source: Fox

The Simpsons won't have any repeats of Hank Azaria voicing Apu.

The producers behind the show have issued a statement saying that from now on, its characters of colour will be voiced by actors of colour only.

"Moving forward, The Simpsons will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters," the statement read.

News of the decision comes less than an hour after Mike Henry announced he will no longer voice the character of Cleveland Brown on fellow Fox animated comedy Family Guy.

The Simpsons has been subject to heavy criticism over the last few years on this issue, most notably over Azaria playing the Indian character Apu, and this statement represents a substantial shift from the producers' historical stance on the matter.
Mr Azaria announced that he was stepping away from voicing the character in January. Calls for him to do so intensified following the 2017 documentary The Problem With Apu, from comedian Hari Kondabolu.

The documentary explored how people of South Asian descent felt about growing up with Apu as one of their only representatives on American television.
The Simpsons added Kevin Michael Richardson, who had been previously been a recurring cast member, to the full-time cast a few seasons ago. Mr Richardson currently voices many of the show's African American characters.

The animated series space is currently having a reckoning with its history of casting white actors to play non-white characters.

In the last week alone, Jenny Slate announced on that she would no longer play the "bi-racial" character Missy on the popular Netflix show Big Mouth, and Kristen Bell revealed that she would be stepping down from her role as a "bi-racial" character in the Apple animated series Central Park.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
The Simpsons says it will stop using white actors to voice characters of colour | SBS News