After a nearly decade-long absence, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is back!
The fan-favorite character made his long-awaited return in tonight's episode of The Simpsons, titled "Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening"—a precursor to next weekend's "Treehouse of Horror XXXVII." The episode marks the first time Apu has been heard since October 2017, as a brand-new voice actor takes over the iconic role.
Variety has revealed that Sunil Malhotra (Grey’s Anatomy; The Legend of Korra) is the new voice of Apu. He takes over from Hank Azaria, who permanently stepped down from voicing the character in 2017 following the release of The Problem With Apu documentary and the subsequent controversy.
Apu wasn't the only returning character: his wife, Manjula, also made a triumphant return alongside the reopened Kwik-E-Mart. She is now voiced by Janina Gavankar (The League; Star Wars: Battlefront II).
Executive producer Matt Selman confirmed both Apu and Manjula will be featured more frequently in future installments of The Simpsons—and presumably in the upcoming 2027 movie sequel as well. Sharing his excitement, Selman said, “We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, ‘Simpsons’-y way that allowed him to evolve. We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.”
Malhotra expressed excitement about stepping into the role, assuring fans that the character is being handled with the utmost love and care. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the sweetest part of all was unleashing that righteously rage-fueled “I AM APU!” — on behalf of so many of us — over and over in the studio until we got it just right. I really feel like we did and I can’t wait for fans to see more Apu.”
The idea for the return originated from staff writer Nick Dahan and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos. Selman loved their pitch, calling it “a brilliant way” to bring Apu back while simultaneously acknowledging the character being sidelined for the past ten years.
To keep the reveal under wraps, producers enforced strict security protocols during the table read and production, including comprehensive NDAs. Fox aided the effort by withholding press screeners prior to the broadcast, keeping the secret well-guarded until tonight.
If you're curious about how he makes his way back to Springfield, here's a quick plot description of tonight's episode courtesy of the trade:
In “The Revengening,” a spooky lead-up to next week’s “Treehouse of Horror XXXVII,” a man in a “Daft Monk” Halloween costume (as in, a Daft Punk helmet and monastic robe — wordplay!) is accidentally killed over and over again by Springfield residents all over town. A year later, “Daft Monk” is still alive, and getting his revenge by taking out his would-be killers, one by one.
Eventually “Daft Monk” summons the townspeople to Springfield City Hall, where he takes his helmet off and reveals that he’s actually Apu.
Apu then shares his backstory: After he was nearly killed dozens of times, he wound up on “The Island of Forgotten Garbage,” where he’s healed by “The Simpsons” quack Dr. Nick (who also has been seen sparingly in recent years). “All the junk Springfield gets rid of winds up here,” he tells Apu, “like you … If you wound up here, it’s for a reason, right, Leon?” (Out pops the character that Michael Jackson played in the Season 3 episode “Stark Raving Mad,” which was pulled from “Simpsons” rotation in 2019 after the doc “Leaving Neverland” showcased more allegations against the late pop star.)
Says Apu before he reveals himself: “I am the man you left for dead. I am the one you pretended never existed!”
Then, unmasked, he tells the Springfield crowd: “It would have been so easy to bring me back. I immediately ran home to my family, but they were gone. Then I went to the Kwik-E-Mart, and was shocked to find it abandoned. As I wandered aimlessly through town, no one even noticed me. It was as if I was invisible. That was when I vowed to take my revenge on Springfield.”
He’s about to light City Hall on fire, but Marge Simpson pipes up — representing the Springfield citizens, but also clearly serving as a mouthpiece for the show’s producers: “Apu, we’re so sorry we left you for dead. Believe me, we wanted to do the right thing.”
Bart adds: “But we were so scared, and just didn’t know what to do.”
Lenny also chimes in, in a nod to the debates inside “The Simpsons” writers’ room: “If it’s any consolation, we had so many internal conversations about it.”
But, Carl finishes, “Ahh, they kind of just didn’t go anywhere.” (And for almost a decade, that’s how “The Simpsons” never got around to bringing back Apu.)
Homer then offers to sacrifice himself to save the rest of the town, and offers this penance to Apu, while reminding viewers how important Apu has been to the makeup of Springfield: “I’m just doing what the old Apu would have done. The guy who loved this town and everyone in it. You were on our bowling teams, our barbershop quartets, our dad rock cover bands. We took you for granted. I took you for granted.”
But before Apu can blow up the town, he wakes up. It turns out it was a nightmare; no one is dead. He’s back in the Kwik E-Mart, and Manjula is there too. So is his No. 1 customer, Homer, who invites him to a Halloween party.
“What the heck? I’ll do it,” Apu says. “A Halloween party sounds kind of fun. Plus, I feel like I haven’t seen everyone in ages. Oh, but I wish I had a costume.”
But he actually does: There’s a “Daft Monk” costume stashed under the cash register. So was it really a dream? And that’s the end of the episode — but Apu is back!