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Apu Finally Returned To 'The Simpsons' With A New Voice Actor—And Fans Have Mixed Feelings
Oct 21, 2026
Eight hundred episodes. More than three decades of television. Countless couch gags, celebrity cameos, and questionable decisions by Homer Simpson.
And somehow, The Simpsons managed to go nearly nine years without giving Apu a single line.
Well, somebody finally remembered the Kwik-E-Mart was still open for business. Apu is back, but the voice coming from behind the counter might sound a little different.
And Springfield's long-lost resident made quite the entrance:
Apu is officially back!!!! https://t.co/25FBva9J9i
— Out of Context Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 🎃 (@OOCCouchGags) October 19, 2026
The surprise came during this year's Simpsons Halloween special, Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening. In a parody of I Know What You Did Last Summer, a masked figure called the Daft Monk turns out to be Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, apparently ready to settle a few scores after years of being forgotten.
And The Simpsons knew exactly who was responsible for that awkward absence.
After comedian Hari Kondabolu's 2017 documentary, The Problem With Apu, challenged the South Asian stereotypes surrounding the character, the show attempted to address the criticism in its 2018 episode No Good Read Goes Unpunished..
But Lisa Simpson's response didn't exactly help matters:
“It’s hard to say. Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?”
Viewers criticized the scene for appearing to dismiss concerns about Apu's exaggerated accent and the South Asian Americans who had endured racist impressions of the character. Hank Azaria, who had voiced Apu for decades, eventually stepped away from the role in 2020.
Azaria revisited his involvement during a 2021 appearance on Dax Shepard's podcast Armchair Expert:
“I apologize for my part in creating that and participating in that. Part of me feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize. And sometimes I do.”
That left the show's producers with a familiar face but no speaking voice.
Enter Sunil Malhotra, an Indian American actor born in New Delhi and raised in Chicago. An Indiana University Bloomington graduate, Malhotra has appeared in Grey's Anatomy, House, and The West Wing, with voice credits including The Legend of Vox Machina and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.
Joining The Simpsons might sound like a dream opportunity. But Malhotra knew this wasn't just another voice-acting gig.
And his first reaction to the audition wasn't exactly what you'd expect:
“When my agent called me about a ‘Simpsons’ audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink. But admittedly, part of me was also curious.”
Malhotra met with the producers to discuss Apu's portrayal before accepting the role. Meanwhile, The Simpsons kept the comeback under wraps with nondisclosure agreements and no advance screeners for the Halloween episode.
With the secret finally out, Malhotra had something to share with fans on Instagram:
Malhotra described the opportunity as a reclamation, and he wasn't the only new voice joining the family. Janina Gavankar also took over as Apu's wife, Manjula.
But the comeback didn't win everyone over. Some fans welcomed the casting of South Asian American performers, while others questioned whether Apu's new accent had moved beyond the stereotypes that sparked the controversy in the first place.
Apu finally has a voice again, and the internet isn't holding back:
For anyone wondering whether this was simply a Halloween cameo, the show's producers have confirmed that Apu, Manjula, and their family will continue appearing.
And while fans debate the comeback, executive producer Matt Selman is already looking toward Apu's future:
“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.”
Kondabolu also welcomed the casting of two South Asian American actors, a development that might have seemed unlikely when his documentary first sparked the conversation.
As for Apu's revenge spree, it was all a nightmare. He woke up at the Kwik-E-Mart, where Homer invited him to a Halloween party.
After nearly nine years, Apu's back in Springfield. Let's just hope Homer remembers to pay for his next Squishee.
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Christina Applegate Says She's 'Back At Square One' After Doctor Revealed She Was Misdiagnosed With MS
Oct 21, 2026
Christina Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) back in 2021 and has become a leading advocate for the autoimmune disease, raising awareness and encouraging further research.
Now she feels like a fraud who's let people down after discovering that she didn't have MS after all.
On her MeSsy podcast, which she co-hosts with Jamie Lynn Sigler, where they talk about womanhood and living life with MS, Applegate just returned to the podcast after spending a month in the hospital.
During that hospital stay, struggling with symptoms of what they thought was MS at the time, Applegate's doctors discovered symptoms that could not be attributed to multiple sclerosis, confirming that she didn't have it after all.
Multiple sclerosis is among the autoimmune diseases that still need much more research to be done to get real answers, and patients typically receive a diagnosis through a process of elimination instead of a test that confirms it.
However, because the disorder is confirmed through a process of elimination, sometimes people are wrongfully diagnosed with MS and treated for something they don't have, even if their symptoms seem to match up.
During her return podcast episode, Applegate confided:
"She came into my room and said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS.'"
"You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden, I’m better."
"I haven’t gotten better, Jamie. If anything, I’ve gotten worse in some ways."
"So I’m back at square one, that I don’t know what’s wrong with me. And that’s going to be an online investigation that my doctors are going to get into, and just to find out what has been happening since 2021."
"Why did this happen? I have every symptom of someone who has MS. Every single one.”
Instead of feeling hopeful, Applegate felt like she was back at square one, trying to find answers.
"It’s clear now that they’re finding something different. Something else is going on..."
"It’s this weird feeling because I became this poster child for MS."
"Everything I was doing, I had a reason. I had a f**king reason why my days sucked every day, and now I don’t have a reason, and it’s very unnerving, and it’s really confusing for me."
You can watch the podcast episode here:
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
On the second episode of MeSsy that appeared after Applegate returned, a neurology professor joined them to discuss Applegate's misdiagnosis, and they explained that upwards of 20% of people diagnosed with it and treated for it don't actually have MS, but something that looks and behaves like it.
The professor confirmed:
"Almost 1 in 5 of these people who’d been told they had MS, some for decades, didn’t actually have it. And a majority of them were on medication to treat their MS."
Applegate's news was shared on X, where X users sympathized with her, many having been misdiagnosed themselves.
While Christina Applegate might feel like she's back at square one, she has information now that she didn't have in the very beginning.
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Dodgers Player Blasts MLB Over Provocative Ads Featuring Sydney Sweeney And Megan Fox
Oct 21, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers player Alex Call has called out Major League Baseball and all its broadcasters for a series of ads featuring actors Sydney Sweeney and Megan Fox.
Call called the provocative ads "soft-core porn" and said they're making it impossible for him to watch baseball with his young son. Call's post was in response to one by X creator Taylor Murphy, owner of a security company based in Utah.
Both men complained that the ads feature "half-naked women," meaning Sweeney and Fox.
Call wrote:
"Can we please get the soft porn ads off playoff broadcasts, TBS, Fox, NBC, @MLB?"
"My son wants to watch baseball with Dada, but how do I justify that when a half-naked women could come on screen anytime??"
"This is America’s Pastime. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about this."
In his post, Murphy called out two ads in particular. His tweet read:
"Hey @MLB - wanna get more kids watching baseball? Maybe start with the commercials. Watching the playoffs tonight with my kids and here's the rundown:"
"- Megan Fox selling ED pills in a red bodysuit"
"- The scariest movie trailer you've ever seen"
"- Sydney Sweeney in zero clothes promoting betting on sports"
- YouTubeyoutu.be
He went on to gripe:
"Leagues can't figure out why kids don't watch. You don't need a Nickelodeon game. You're not the Savannah Bananas. Just show baseball in a way I can leave on in my house."
Sweeney, of course, has pretty much made hypersexualized, scantily clad advertising her bread and butter recently, with a controversial ad for American Eagle and now one for Novig, a betting platform, in which she appears topless.
- YouTubeyoutu.be
Call's bio touts himself as a Christian, and Murphy is based in Provo, Utah, basically one of the epicenters of the Mormon-led "trad wife" movement that helped re-elect Donald Trump.
It's hard not to wonder if the recent trend toward resurgent Puritanism isn't part of the annoyance here.
However, it's also pretty hard not to understand why a parent wouldn't want to have to worry about boner pills and a completely naked Sweeney coming on in the afternoon during a baseball game.
And at least when it comes to Sweeney's ad, Call and Murphy definitely aren't alone in their consternation.
The ad has been roundly criticized as being sexist, including by organizations like the Female Athlete Project, who said in a statement:
"We’re not entirely sure if ‘Novig’ or Sydney Sweeney and her PR team have ever watched sports. But honestly, wow. It’s incredible they could fit so much misogyny in 40 seconds."
On X, Call and Murphy both had plenty of supporters.
But others couldn't help but notice both men's conservative leanings, and thought their outrage was a bit overboard.
Two things can be true at the same time, of course. There is definitely some puritanical pearl-clutching going on here. But should parents really have to deal with ads this sexualized in the middle of the afternoon?
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JD Vance Dragged After Awkwardly Stumbling Over The Phrase 'English Proficiency'—And It's Irony At Its Finest
Oct 21, 2026
In April 2025, MAGA Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to step up enforcement of stricter English language requirements for commercial truck drivers.
It came on the heels of Trump's largely unenforceable executive order declaring English as the official language of the United States—another part of Project 2025's White nationalist agenda.
In May of this year, the Department of Labor (DOL) mandated:
"While proficiency in the English language remains a bona fide job requirement that many employers already disclose on job orders and/or applications entailing the operation of a [commercial motor vehicle], the explicit inclusion of language requiring [English language proficiency] for all employers has not previously been required."
The new guidance was issued stepping up English skills testing of truck drivers because the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 codified Trump’s April executive order. While prior guidance required only sufficient English skills for truck drivers, the new guidance is being used to target Black and brown drivers with roadside English fluency tests.
Thinking this was a major win for White supremacy, Vice President JD Vance decided to brag about it to a North Carolina MAGA rally crowd. Trump and Vance have been on the campaign trail trying to bolster Republicans' chances in the November midterms.
Unfortunately for VP Vance, his own English language skills were lacking.
Vance tried to tell the 200-400 people gathered to hear him speak:
"If you're behind a gigantic semi-truck, you ought to be able to read highway signs. Which is why we made English proficiency mandatory to obtain a commercial driver's license in this state and all across our country."
Except Vance couldn't quite wrap his tongue around the word "proficiency." It sounded like he thought there might be an extra "r" in the word.
You can see and hear Vance's remarks here:
People found an elected official touting English proficiency not being proficient in English ironically hilarious.


In addition to poking fun at MAGA intellect, people tried to replicate what Vance said.




Others noted the Trump administration itself wasn't a great example of English proficiency.



While heavily gerrymandered GOP strongholds will likely uphold the status quo, only November's midterms will determine how effective Republican campaign efforts and scare tactics have been.
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Republican Sen. Tim Scott's Bizarre Remark About Wanting Kids To Grow Up In Poverty Sparks Backlash
Oct 21, 2026
Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina raised eyebrows this week for saying during a Fox News interview that he hopes the next generation can grow up in poverty "like I did."
Scott has previously spoken about his childhood, notably his childhood and adolescent experiences in working-class poverty with his mother and siblings, so you'd think he'd be much more sympathetic to Americans feeling the crunch of a nationwide affordability crisis that has provoked public discontent with the Republican Party.
Scott appeared during a Fox News segment where he was asked to respond to the findings of a recent poll, notably the fact that 59% of those polled named the "cost of living" as chief among their economic concerns. 76% of Republicans, Fox News noted, are happy with President Donald Trump's job performance, compared with 92% in March 2025.
To this, Scott replied:
"Number one, it was Democrats who voted against giving rural hospitals $50 billion. It was Democrats who voted to raise taxes on senior citizens on Social Security, on people working overtime, and on young professionals making and earning tips."
"It was the Republicans who supported lowering those taxes, putting 300 bucks a month in the pockets of everyday Americans."
“The president’s legacy is on the midterm ballot. I want to make sure that America continues to be the land of fairness and freedom, so the next generation of young people can grow up like I did—maybe in poverty, maybe in a single-parent household—but all things are possible in the greatest country on God’s green earth."
"Let’s save America.”
You can hear what Scott said in the video below.
Many felt Scott had simply said the quiet part out loud—that Republicans are very much okay with the cost of living crisis and actively want people to suffer.
What in the world could have convinced Scott to believe condemning citizens to poverty would be a winning midterm elections strategy?
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