Hank Azaria says The Simpsons' Apu is "practically a slur at this point" and that he feels he needs to apologize "to every single Indian person"

The Hollywood Reporter

The Simpsons star told Armchair Expert podcast hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman that he learned about the impact of the Apu character by speaking to people of Indian descent. "I was speaking at my son's school, I was talking to the Indian kids there because I wanted to get their input," Azaria said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "A 17-year-old ... he's never even seen The Simpsons but knows what Apu means. It's practically a slur at this point. All he knows is that is how his people are thought of and represented to many people in this country." The boy, "with tears in his eyes," Azaria said, asked the actor to tell Hollywood writers what they do matters and has ramifications on people's lives. Azaria said he would deliver the message. "I really do apologize," Azaria added. "It's important. I apologize for my part in creating that and participating in that. Part of me feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize. And sometimes I do."