The Simpsons: White people banned from voicing non-whites
June 27, 2020
After years of pressure over the character of Apu, the producers of The Simpsons have announced that white actors will no longer voice non-white characters.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Fox
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Long-running animated television series The Simpsons has pledged to no longer use white actors to voice ethnic minority characters, the producers announced on Friday.
"Moving forward, 'The Simpsons' will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters," the producers said in a brief statement, without elaborating.
Azaria had also voiced the Black police officer Lou and the Mexican-American Pedro Chespirito, or Bumblebee Man.
The decision will also affect the character of Dr Julius Hibbert, the town's respected Black medical doctor voiced by white actor Harry Shearer.
Meanwhile, Mike Henry, the white actor who voices the Black character Cleveland Brown in fellow Fox animated series Family Guy, announced on Twitter that he was giving up that role.
"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," he wrote.
The actresses Jenny Slate and Kristen Bell have likewise announced they will stop voicing their Black characters in their respective shows Big Mouth and Central Park.
The Simpsons has been on air for more than 30 years and has reflected the changing face of US society.
The announcement came amid a surge in activism and awareness over systemic racism and black oppression in the country and across the world.
aw/stb (AFP, Reuters)
30 years of Lisa Simpson's environmental activism
On the 30th anniversary of the creation of "The Simpsons," DW looks back at some highlights of Lisa Simpson's fight for the environment. And it seems things don't always turn out according to Lisa's intentions.
Image: Fox/The Simpsons
Lisa the Vegetarian
Lisa finds herself ridiculed by her meat-loving father and school friends when she decides to become a vegetarian after befriending the lambs at a petting zoo. However, with the help of Apu and Paul and Linda McCartney, she learns to embrace her newfound vegetarianism while also respecting the choices of others.
Image: FOX BROADCASTING/The Simpsons
The Squirt and the Whale
When a 150-foot whale beaches itself, Lisa names it Bluella and steps in to care for it, staying by its side and reading poetry to it at night. The whale sadly dies, but Lisa manages to save its two calves from sharks. Bluella was later referenced by Mayor Quimby as one example of Lisa's many "annoying" environmental pleas.
Image: Fox 41 WDRB/M. Groening
Lisa the Tree Hugger
After falling for a handsome activist, Lisa joins his environmental crusade and volunteers to live in the branches of an ancient tree in Springfield which is scheduled to be cut down. But things don't go according to plan when the tree is struck by lightning and the Rich Texan decides to build a theme park in the forest. Lisa saves the day, of course, after leading a vocal protest.
Image: FOX/The Simpsons
The Old Man and the Lisa
Lisa takes it upon herself to help Mr. Burns win back his fortune through environmental means. Inspired, he creates the "Little Lisa Recycling Plant," although he is actually using recycled plastic to empty the sea and sell the animal meat as slurry. Mr. Burns offers 10 percent of the $120 million plant to Lisa, but she turns it down knowing where it came from.
Image: FOX BROADCASTING/The Simpsons
'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky
When Lisa turns her focus to astronomy, she immediately tackles the issue of light pollution in Springfield. In desperation, she teams up with Bart to overload the nuclear power station and create a mass blackout. The townspeople gather into an angry mob, but are awed and subdued by the beauty of a meteor shower.
Image: FOX BROADCASTING/The Simpsons
The Simpsons Movie
The first-and-only Simpsons feature sees Lisa continue her environmental crusade, convincing the people of Springfield to clean their heavily polluted lake. Naturally, things go awry for the family after Homer dumps an entire silo of pig waste in the lake and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) traps the town in a giant dome.
