'I think it's a time in our culture where people love to pretend they're offended,' the series creator says in a new interview.
- Jul 30, 2018
AceShowbiz - Despite the controversy surrounding Apu, "The Simpsons" apparently is not planning to make any change regarding the cast for the Indian immigrant character. The issue about Apu's character being based on racial stereotype was brought up to series creator Matt Groening at TCA summer press tour, though Groening seemingly wanted to avoid the topic.
"I'm proud of everything we do on 'The Simpsons'," he said during his panel for his new Netflix series "Disenchantment". Talking to USA Today, Groening added, "I think it's a time in our culture where people love to pretend they're offended."
When asked about the long-running Fox show's April 8th episode, which saw Marge seemingly addressing the criticism by saying that "some things will be addressed at a later date," Groening simply responded, "We'll let the show speak for itself."
His answers are short, but it did seem that there won't be any shift about Apu on the series. Actor Hank Azalia, who lends his voice for the character, previously revealed that he would be willingly stepping aside should the show decide to cast another actor to voice Apu.
The backlash over the character first sparked following the episode that's titled "No Good Read Goes Unpunished". Marge and Lisa subtly talked about the portrayal of Apu, the Kwik-E-Mart manager, with the latter saying, "Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?" Later, she looked at a nearby picture of Apu with Bart's catchphrase, "Don't have a cow!"
Comedian Hari Kondabulu, who slammed the show's portrayal of Apu in a documentary called "The Problem With Apu", was one of the many people who criticized the episode. "Wow. 'Politically Incorrect?' That's the takeaway from my movie & the discussion it sparked? Man, I really loved this show. This is sad," he wrote on Twitter.
