Super-wealthy and world-famous actress Priyanka Chopra just appeared in an interview for British Vogue and, in that interview, declared that she had been traumatized by a character on The Simpsons, a comedy cartoon, which she claimed was the “bane of [her] existence.”
That came at around the 4:30 mark in the British Vogue interview, at which point the the 41-year-old actress said:
To be on The Simpsons in my wedding dress was really funny and ironic, considering Apu was the bane of my life when I was growing up. Everybody kept asking me why I didn’t speak like Apu, why my accent wasn’t like Apu? – Apu had a really exaggerated Indian accent, as we all know now. This was really bittersweet and funny because obviously, The Simpsons are an iconic part of most of our childhood, but it was also the irony of me in an Indian dress marrying a white guy.
She’s not the only star to say such things about “Apu.” Hank Azaria, the former voice of Apu, did as well, saying: “I was speaking at my son’s school, I was talking to the Indian kids there because I wanted to get their input. A 17-year-old … he’s never even seen The Simpsons but knows what Apu means. It’s practically a slur at this point. All he knows is that is how his people are thought of and represented to many people in this country. I really do apologize. It’s important. 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.”
In any case, Breitbart’s John Nolte cast doubt on Chopra’s story in an opinion piece for Breitbart on it, saying:
Let’s start with the obvious… Does anyone believe this? Come on. Does anyone honestly believe that so many people asked this narcissist why she didn’t speak like a cartoon character that it became the “bane” of her “life?”
I’m Irish. No one has ever asked me why I don’t speak like the Lucky Charms guy.
My wife is Mexican and was born in Mexico; no one ever asks her why she doesn’t talk like Speedy Gonzalez.
We’re both Southerners now, but no one’s ever asked us why we don’t talk like Foghorn Leghorn.
In all of my 57 years, I’ve never wondered why someone from Out West doesn’t talk like Yosemite Sam.
So, perhaps she’s telling the truth. Perhaps not. Either way, it’s a cartoon character and the Simpsons has announced that, for now, at least, Apu will remain in the show. However, his role in it has remained limited since the outrage began in earnest.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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