The Simpsons axes Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu after a backlash over the Indian character's racial stereotyping

The Simpsons is set to axe Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu after a backlash over the Indian character's racial stereotyping. He's one of ...

The Simpsons is set to axe Kwik-E-Mart owner Apu after a backlash over the Indian character's racial stereotyping.

He's one of the shows most well-known characters but a documentary last year entitled The Problem with Apu sparked a fierce debate over his inclusion.

The film, made by comedian and film maker Hari Kondabolu, focused on how the Simpons might be stereotyping the South Asian community with the character.

Apu Nahasapeemapetilon has been a character on The Simpsons for almost 30 years. He runs the Springfield Kwik-E-Mart and is known for the catchphrase 'Thank you, come again'. He is voiced by American actor Hank Azaria who has threatened to quit the show following the controversy

And now it has been reported that Apu Nahasapeemapetilon might be removed from the long-running animated series entirely. 

In an interview with IndieWire, producer Adi Shankar revealed that he's verified from 'multiple sources' the removal of Apu from the show.

He said: 'They’re going to drop the Apu character altogether. 

'They aren’t going to make a big deal out of it, or anything like that, but they’ll drop him altogether just to avoid the controversy.'

The news comes despite Shankar wanting to crowdfund a script that could have saved the character - by addressing the issues raised in The Problem with Apu and updating the character for a modern audience. 

He believes axing the character entirely would be a big mistake and could be seen as avoiding the controversy entirely. 

He said: 'If you are a show about cultural commentary and you are too afraid to comment on the culture, especially when it’s a component of the culture you had a hand in creating, then you are a show about cowardice.

'It’s not a step forward, or step backwards, it’s just a massive step sideways. After having read all these wonderful scripts, I feel like sidestepping this issue doesn’t solve it when the whole purpose of art, I would argue, is to bring us together.'  

The Problem with Apu, released in November 2017, took a critical look at the character of Apu on The Simpsons. 

In the documentary, Kondabolu argues that the stereotypical portrayal of Indian and South Asian-Americans embodied by Apu is culturally insensitive and detrimental to the community’s portrayal in modern American culture.

The documentary’s success sparked a renewed debate about cultural sensitivity and racial stereotyping in the media. Many critics hailed it for restarting public discussion on such issues.

One of the main 'problems' with Apu is that the character is voiced by Hank Azaria, a white actor, who admitted his portrayal of Apu is actually a homage to white British actor Peter Sellers playing an Indian in the 1968 comedy The Party.

On April 8, however, The Simpsons attempted to address the accusations in its newest episode called No Good Read Goes Unpunished.

But later that month Hank Azaria said he might quit the controversial role of voicing Apu following the race row.

Appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday, the actor said he was 'perfectly willing to step aside' so someone else could play the Kwik-E-Mart owner.