Priyanka Chopra tells 'The View' that she was bullied as a kid because of Apu on 'The Simpsons'
Recently, The Simpsons character Apu has come under criticism for portraying a racist Indian stereotype. During Priyanka Chopra’s visit to The View Thursday, she made it very clear her feelings on the cartoon character: “He was the bane of my existence growing up.”
The Quantico actress revealed that growing up, she was constantly compared to the cartoon character. “I was always asked when I was in high school … why I didn’t speak like that. Did I find gold in my rivers, did I go to school on elephants.” Chopra went on to make a very valid point about how times have changed since The Simpsons debuted in 1989. She said, “The population of Indian-Americans in America has tripled … so the voice is louder, the representation and the demand for representation for people of color is louder.”
She continued by stating that The Simpson’s has a responsibility as the longest-running animated program in America. “Yes, it’s a cartoon, yes it’s a pop culture, supersuccessful show, but that gives it more responsibility. … It is out of date and not evolved in so many levels.”
Hank Azaria, who voices Apu, recently sat down with Stephen Colbert and revealed that he would be happy to step aside from voicing the character to make the show more inclusive. Check out his full interview here:
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