John Cleese mocks Simpsons actor Hank Azaria in apology to ‘white people’
Monty Python’s John Cleese has mocked The Simpsons actor Hank Azaria, issuing an “apology” to “white English people” for making fun of them.
Azaria, who is white, apologised earlier this week to “every single Indian person” for the hurt caused by him voicing Indian convenience store clerk Apu.
Speaking on Dax Shepherd’s Armchair Expert podcast, Azaria said that his portrayal of The Simpsons character had contributed to “structural racism” – with criticism emerging as early as 2017 that the show’s producers had for decades relied on offensive stereotypes.
Apu was “sidelined” and Azaria announced last January that he would no longer voice the character.
“I really didn’t know any better. I didn’t think about it. I was unaware how much relative advantage I had received in this country as a white kid from Queens,” Azaria told Shepherd.
“Just because there were good intentions, it doesn’t mean there weren’t real negative consequences to the thing that I am accountable for.”
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John Cleese has mocked Hank Azaria’s apology to Indian people earlier this week. Picture: Mal Fairclough/AAPSource:AAP
Azaria said his portrayal of the convenience store clerk had contributed to ‘structural racism’. Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images
Cleese was quick to mock Azaria’s apology in the aftermath of the podcast’s release, writing on Twitter that he was “not wishing to be left behind”.
“I would like to apologise on behalf on (sic) Monty Python for all the many sketches we did making fun of white English people,” he joked.
“We’re sorry for any distress we may have caused.”
Not wishing to be left behind by Hank Azaria, I would like to apologise on behalf on Monty Python for all the many sketches we did making fun of white English people
— John Cleese (@JohnCleese) April 13, 2021
We're sorry for any distress we may have caused
The 81-year-old comedian also took the opportunity to decry “wokeism” as “idiocy”, often using his Twitter to speak out against “cancel culture”.
“Started out as a good idea – ‘Let’s be nice to people’ – and finished up as a humourless, censorious, literal-minded, posturing idiocy,” he wrote in response to a fan.
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Azaria announced last January he would no longer voice The Simpsons character Apu.Source:Supplied
Initially, The Simpsons producers tried to laugh off complaints, which were sparked by the documentary The Problem With Apu by Indian American comedian Hari Kondabolu.
But in February this year, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening told BBC Radio that he was “trying to make it better”.
“Bigotry and racism are still an incredible problem and it’s good to finally go for more equality and representation,” he said.
Show producers are now in the process of recasting all of its people of colour characters who are currently portrayed by white voice actors.
– With Shannon Molloy
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