The Simpsons creator Matt Groening shrugs off Apu row: 'People love to pretend they're offended'

The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has responded to the Apu controversy, saying people love to express fake offence nowadays. The animated sitcom, which recently became America’s longest running scripted show with 636 episodes till date, has been criticised for its stereotypical portrayal of the South Asian community which came to light after Hari Kondabolu called out the makers through his documentary, The Problem with Apu. When asked if Apu Nahasapeemapetilon’s part, who is a South Asian, was meant to be a stereotype, Groening told USA Today , “Not really. I’m proud of what we do on the show. And I think it’s a time in our culture where people love to pretend they’re offended.” [caption id=“attachment_4452719” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Matt Groening/Image from Twitter.[/caption] Recently, the show addressed the controversy in the 8 April episode where one of the characters Lisa said some things “started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive, is now politically incorrect”. But this explanation did not go down well with the critics. When asked what did it mean when Marge said, “Some things will be addressed at a later date” and Lisa said, “If at all”, Groening said, “We’ll let the show speak for itself”. Following the debate, Hank Azaria, who voices Apu’s character, has said he was “perfectly willing to step aside” from the role.