Hank Azaria's statement does not clarify what will happen to the character Apu in the future.

- All we know is that I will not make the vote anymore, if there is no way to lock it out. What they will do with the character is their decision. It's up to them and they haven't really come up with anything yet, ”says the actor to the Slashfilm site.

According to Hank Azaria, the decision was made with the creators of the television series The Simpsons.

- We all agreed. We all know that's the right thing, he says.

Has handled the criticism in different ways

The creators of the Simpsons have previously both dismissed the criticism and tried to counter it in the series itself, which has brought further criticism.

Ever since comedian Hari Kondabolu released his documentary "The problem with Apu" 2017, criticism of the character has increased. The comedian believes that Apu is one of the popular cultural figures that underlies why young South Asians are being bullied for their origins.

"Do something interesting with him"

Hari Kondabolu writes in a series of tweets that his aim was never for Apu to be removed, but rather to start a discussion about representation and diversity.

“Let a very talented script editor do something interesting with him. If not to improve the show, then I will have fewer death threats, ”he wrote on Twitter.

The Simpsons has been broadcast on television for 30 years, making the program one of the world's longest script-based TV series.