The Simpsons and Family Guy will no longer cast white actors to voice people of colour


Apu and Cleveland
The animated sitcom The Simpsons will no longer use white actors to voice non-white characters. The Simpsons is currently the longest-running primetime scripted show on TV and aired the season finale for season 31 last month. Created by Matt Groening, the show debuted in 1989 and shows the day-to-day stories of Homer Simpson and his family: wife Marge and children Bart, Lisa, and Maggie.
Set in the town of Springfield, the series is well-known for its social and political commentary and has become part of mainstream pop-culture. However, the show has been criticised for whitewashing. In fact, Indian-American comedian Hari Kondabolu created and starred in a documentary titled The Problem with Apu. It called out The Simpsons for casting a white actor, Hank Azaria, to voice an Indian-American immigrant named Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. Azaria quit the series in January this year.
The Simpsons producers issued a statement today confirming the end of whitewashing on their show. “Moving forward, The Simpsons will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters," affirmed the producers.
It’s been an honor to play Cleveland on Family Guy for 20 years. I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color. Therefore, I will be stepping down from the role. pic.twitter.com/FmKasWITKT
— Mike Henry (@mikehenrybro) June 26, 2020
The statement came out around the same time actor Mike Henry posted on social media that he was stepping down from voicing a Black character on Fox's Family Guy called Cleveland Brown.