Actor Hank Azaria has opened up on his decision to stop voicing the character Apu on The Simpsons. Speaking to The New York Times, Azaria said he was thoughtfully considering the matter for multiple years before making the choice to end his run as Apu.

"Once I realized that that was the way this character was thought of, I just didn't want to participate in it anymore," Azaria said. "It just didn't feel right."

Apu was one of the most prominent South Asian characters on TV in the 90s when The Simpsons was getting started and ultimately rising to prominence. Comedian Hari Kondabolu's 2017 documentary, The Problem With Apu, called out Apu as being a stereotype.