After nearly a decade of silence, Springfield’s most famous convenience store clerk has finally spoken again. During Sunday night’s episode of The Simpsons, titled "The Revengening," beloved Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon officially received a new voice. Actor and voice-over veteran Sunil Malhotra, known for his work in Grey’s Anatomy and The Legend of Korra, made his debut in the role, ending a historic hiatus that has lasted for roughly nine years.
The third episode of the animated series’ 38th season, which aired on Fox in the United States, marked a major turning point for a character who had been quietly sidelined following years of cultural controversy. According to a report by Variety, Malhotra’s hiring and the surprise return of Apu—who had not uttered a single spoken word on the show since the October 2017 episode "The Serfsons"—were kept under exceptionally tight wraps. Producers enforced strict non-disclosure agreements for everyone involved, covering both the table read and the subsequent production phases to prevent any leaks from reaching the public ahead of broadcast.
Executive producer Matt Selman explained the careful considerations behind the character’s long-awaited return. "We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, Simpsons-y way that allowed him to evolve," Selman told Variety. "Estamos excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future."
The journey to this moment stretches back to the tenure of Hank Azaria, who originally voiced Apu for the first 29 seasons of the long-running animated series. Azaria’s portrayal came under intense public scrutiny following the release of the 2017 documentary The Problem With Apu, created by comedian Hari Kondabolu. The film explored the negative impact that the stereotypical portrayal had on people of South Asian descent, prompting widespread conversations about representation in media.
Following the documentary’s release and subsequent public discourse, Azaria announced that he would no longer lend his voice to the character. Years later, during a 2021 appearance on Dax Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert, Azaria reflected on his historical portrayal with deep remorse, stating that part of him felt the need to personally apologize to every individual of Indian descent in the United States.
Once Azaria stepped away from the role, the creative team behind The Simpsons chose to push Apu into the background rather than recast him immediately. For years, the character remained visible in crowd scenes and background gags, but he was entirely stripped of dialogue. That status quo finally shifted when staffer Nick Hahan and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos hatched an inventive idea to reintroduce the character during one of season 38’s seasonal Halloween-themed storylines, setting the search for a new voice actor into motion.
For Malhotra, the initial prospect of auditioning for the role came with a mixture of professional curiosity and emotional apprehension. "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," Malhotra told Variety. "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?"
After engaging in detailed discussions with the show’s producers and reviewing their plans for the character’s narrative arc, Malhotra was ultimately convinced that Apu’s return was being managed thoughtfully and respectfully.
"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," Malhotra noted.
In Sunday night’s episode, "The Revengening," the plot revolves around a man wearing a Daft Punk-inspired Halloween costume who is accidentally killed repeatedly by various residents of Springfield over the course of Halloween night. A year later, the victim is revealed to have survived and begins exacting calculated revenge against his would-be killers one by one. When the costumed avenger is finally cornered and unmasked, he is revealed to be none other than Apu.
Unmasking before the stunned townspeople, Apu delivers a poignant line: "I am the man you left for dead. I am the one you pretended never existed!"
The narrative then addresses the elephant in the room directly through the show’s established characters. Marge Simpson, seemingly acting as a meta-textual mouthpiece for the producers and writers, responds by saying, "Apu, we’re so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, we wanted to do the right thing." Bart Simpson then chimes in, adding, "But we were so scared, and just didn’t know what to do."
Reflecting on the recording sessions and the emotional weight of bringing the character back to life, Malhotra expressed deep satisfaction with how the storyline ultimately came together on screen.
"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."
