In June, amid outcry over white actors voicing characters of colour in shows including Big Mouth and Central Park, Fox Television said in a statement: “Moving forward, The Simpsons will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters.”
The Simpsons actor Harry Shearer has expressed unease over white actors on the show stepping down from voicing characters of colour.
This year, following decades of controversy, the long-running animated comedy confirmed that Hank Azaria would no longer voice Indian shop owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, and that other characters of colour would not be portrayed by white actors.
While The Simpsons has always drawn controversy for its use of white actors to voice characters of colour, the 2017 release of a documentary about Apu and the representation of Indians in US entertainment sparked calls for permanent change.