Is Apu racist? The Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria ‘happy to step aside’

Actor’s response at odds with the cartoon’s jibe at critics who say Indian character is offensive

Apu Simpsons
A vistor poses with a model of Apu at a New York convenience store converted to a Kwik-E-Mart to promote The Simpsons Movie in 2007
(Image credit: Michael Nagle/Getty Images)

The Simpsons actor Hank Azaria has said he would be willing to stop voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, amid mounting accusations that the show’s characterisation is racist.

Apu’s stereotypical mannerisms and heavy accent - as performed by Azaria, who is white - have long been a sore subject in the Indian-American community, but in recent months the debate has attracted mainstream attention.

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