The Simpsons Tried Their Hand at Addressing the Issue Raised by Hari Kondabolu’s Documentary “The Problem With Apu”
If you’ve seen Hari Kondabolu’s doc “The Problem with Apu”, you’d know that one of The Simpsons’ longest running supporting characters, Apu, is voiced by Hank Azaria, a caucasian actor. This mark against the legendary TV series has flown under the radar for decades really until Hari’s documentary.
Last night’s episode attempted to address the issue of representation by effectively saying that The Simpsons now see the problem with Apu though it wasn’t a problem for them for so many years and aren’t exactly what sure to do about it at this moment. Kondabolu isn’t thrilled with this response since it really doesn’t offer any solution, but only a recognition of the issue he raised.
So, this cultural impasse remains with no definitive resolution coming at a specified date. However, that does make Hari pretending to be the voice of Hank Azaria on a god mic at his live shows even more poignant and hysterical.
If you want to watch The Problem With Apu, you can get it on iTunes here.