Will the Simpsons say goodbye to Apu’s character? (And should they?)

The Simpson’s Apu has stoked controversy for some time over his portrayal as an Indian-American stereotype. Is the solution to kick the Kwik-E-Mart manager out of Springfield?

Apu, The Simpsons friendly Indian-American Kwik-E-Mart manager, has gotten a lot of attention recently over a simple question: is Apu a racist stereotype? In fact, the controversy has gotten heated enough that rumors are flying that the show will “drop the character all together.”

So what’s the deal with Apu, and is he here to stay or not?

To start, there’s The Problem with Apu. Originally aired last November, and re-aired this past April, this TruTV documentary criticized The Simpsons’ character, claiming Apu was an offensive stereotype of Indian-Americans. The fact that Apu is voiced by Hank Azaria (a white man) doesn’t help the issue. The documentary, created by comedian Hari Kondabolu, made enough noise to elicit a response from the show itself.

In the episode titled “No Good Read Goes Unpunished,” which aired April 2018, Lisa complains as Marge reads her a story containing terms Lisa finds potentially offensive.

“What am I supposed to say?” Marge says. As Lisa turns to the camera to respond directly to the audience, a photograph of Apu is clearly seen sitting on her nightstand, with “Don’t have a cow!” written across the front.

“It’s hard to say,” Lisa says, now addressing the viewers and making obvious reference to the Apu issue, “Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?”

As to be expected, many people were unhappy with this response. Kondabolu himself tweeted the following after the episode aired:

Soon afterwards, Adi Shankar, known for his work with Castlevania, announced a script contest looking for a solution to the Apu problem that “in a clever way subverts him, pivots him, writes him out, or evolves him in a way that [takes him out of a]…white male writers’ room and transforms [him] into a fresh, funny, and realistic portrayal of Indians in America.”

And now, several months later, Shankar has spoken up again claiming that despite the fact that his contest has produced “the perfect script,” multiple sources have informed him that the show’s solution instead is to just drop the character.

Despite the tensions the character has created, this announcement was not well received.

Even Kondabulu, whose documentary contributed largely to the controversy, spoke up in protest:

While Apu’s portrayal is problematic, choosing to just remove his character from the show doesn’t seem to be so much a solution as much as an avoidance tactic to keep the Simpsons out of hot water. But the rumor of his departure has yet to be confirmed. In fact, Simpsons producer and writer Al Jean responded to Shankar’s allegations with the following tweet:

While this tweet seems reassuring at first to those fighting for Apu, it doesn’t actually deny the rumors. Shankar’s response to Jean calls for more from the Simpsons producer:

Or in other words, your move, Simpsons. While Apu’s future is unknown, one thing is clear: whether he stays or he goes, Apu will leave behind a legacy. Let’s just hope it’s a good one for the show.