'The Simpsons' Creator Slams Those Offended by Apu Controversy

The Simpsons are set to break the longest running scripted prime-time series on Sunday -- celebrating episode 636 -- and while most of the time the program was portrayed as a counter-culture unto itself, it is now facing a controversy that is has yet to find a way to overcome.

Comedian and filmmaker Hari Kondabolu created the documentary The Problem with Apu, which turned the spotlight onto the Indian convenience store clerk becoming the most well-known character from South Asia depicted in pop culture, and in a recent interview with the USAToday, creator Matt Groening said that the show will speak for itself.

"When we first started, we were part of the downfall of civilization. Bart said he was 'an underachiever and proud of it, man,'" he said. "Simpsons T-shirts were banned in grade schools. I felt that the controversy at the beginning of the show was, again, people pretending to be offended by Bart's very mild sassiness. I knew it would blow over. At the heart of our show is a churchgoing family who eats dinner together every night and is very traditional. They drive each other crazy but they do love each other."

He added that the controversy surrounding Apu is much ado about nothing; that the current world we live in is more interested in virtue signaling than actual change.

"I'm proud of what we do on the show," he said. "I think it's a time in our culture where people love to pretend they're offended."

Hank Azaria, the man that has provided the voice for Apu for nearly 30 years, said that there needs to be a balanced conversation.

"I think it's really important when people express themselves about racial issues, what they feel is unfair or upsetting or distressing or makes them angry, sad or hurt," he shared at a recent Television Critics Association press event. "The most important thing to do is listen, try to understand, try to sympathize, which is what I'm doing.

"I know that The Simpsons guys are doing that too; they're giving it a lot of thought, and we've discussed a little bit. They will definitely address — maybe publicly, certainly creatively within the context of the show — what they want to do, if anything, with the character."

Azaria then appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and said that the problem definitively needed to be addressed by genuine voices in the writers' room and that, if they felt it was necessary, he would step away from the role entirely in order to do right by the group of people being represented by Apu.

"I've given this a lot of thought, really a lot of thought," Azaria began. "As I say, my eyes have been opened, and I think the most important thing is we have to listen to South Asian people, Indian people in this country, when they talk about what they feel and how they think about this character and what their American experience of it has been. And as you know, in television terms, listening to voices means inclusion in the writers' room.

"I really want to see Indian [or] South Asian writer/writers in the room. Not in a token way, but genuinely informing whatever new direction this character may take, including how it is voiced or not voiced. I'm perfectly willing and happy to step aside or help transition it into something new. I really hope that's what The Simpsons does. It just, it not only makes sense, but it just feels like the right thing to do, to me."

The only spot on the show, to date, was an non-retraction from Lisa.

In the latest episode, Marge and Lisa were discussing an old fantasy novel which had politically incorrect themes. Lisa then turned to look directly into the camera, saying, "Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive, is now politically incorrect. What can you do?"

If Groening is to believed: not much.