Hank Azaria regrets voicing 'dehumanizing' Apu on The Simpsons.
Hank Azaria, former voice actor of Apu on "The Simpsons," opened up about the controversy surrounding his portrayal of the character as a white man on NPR's "Code Switch" podcast. Comedian Hari Kondabolu, who criticized the character in his documentary "The Problem With Apu," joined Azaria for their first public conversation about the issue. Azaria admitted that he now finds his casting "embarrassing" and acknowledged how his character fed into "the broader dehumanization of Desi people in the United States." Since Azaria stopped voicing the character, Apu has been mostly sidelined from the show.