Apu is finally back on The Simpsons after almost nine years, and his return came with a new voice actor and more stories about his family. The much-loved shopkeeper was heard speaking again in the October 18 episode, "The Revengening".
Sunil Malhotra now voices Apu, taking over from Hank Azaria, who stopped playing the character after people raised concerns about how he was portrayed on the show. Apu was still seen around Springfield during those years, but fans didn't hear him speak since 2017.
Now, with the Kwik-E-Mart opening again, the show's producer Matt Selman says Apu and his family will have more time on screen. His wife, Manjula, also appeared in the new episode, with Janina Gavankar voicing her.
Apu's return came after years of debate about the way the character represented South Asian people. The 2017 documentary The Problem With Apu brought more attention to these concerns, as Azaria later apologised for his role.
Malhotra said he had doubts about accepting the part at first, but felt comfortable after talking with the team. Fans around the world have expressed mixed yet largely enthusiastic reactions to the return of this classic character.