‘The Simpsons’ Will No Longer Have White Actors Voice Non-White Characters

TOPLINE

The long-running cartoon The Simpsons will no longer use white actors to portray non-white characters, Fox announced on Friday, making it one of a number of television shows in the last week to make changes in the wake of anti-racism protests across the U.S. 

KEY FACTS

Key background

The Simpsons has long been scrutinized for how it handles race. The show had been under fire for the character of Apu for years. Azaria, who is white, said he would no longer play the character this year because it leaned on stereotypes of South Asians.

News peg

The Simpsons isn’t the only animated show to announce that white voice actors will no longer play non-white characters. Actress Kristen Bell said she would no longer voice a biracial girl on the Apple TV-produced musical cartoon Central Park. Comedian Jenny Slate said she won’t portray Missy, a Jewish and Black girl, on Netflix’s cartoon Big Mouth. And Mike Henry, who plays Cleveland Brown on Family Guy, said he is stepping down on Friday.