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The Fallout of a Callout : Code Switch In 2017, comedian Hari Kondabolu called out Hollywood's portrayals of South Asians with his documentary The Problem With Apu. The film was also a criticism of comedian Hank Azaria, who is white, for voicing the Indian character on The Simpsons. On this episode, Hari and Hank sit down to talk publicly for the first time about that callout and everything that has gone down since.

Code Switch

The Fallout of a Callout

The Fallout of a Callout

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Hank Azaria (left) and Hari Kondabolu speak with each other in public for the first time since their fallout in 2017. PR Agency/Designed by NPR hide caption

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PR Agency/Designed by NPR

Hank Azaria (left) and Hari Kondabolu speak with each other in public for the first time since their fallout in 2017.

PR Agency/Designed by NPR

What happens after a public callout? For comedians Hari Kondabolu and Hank Azaria, the answer to that has a lot to do with their race.

In this week's Code Switch, Hari and Hank speak to each other publicly for the first time since Hari's documentary The Problem With Apu came out in 2017. The film called out Hollywood's portrayal of South Asians and doubled as a criticism of Hank, who is white, for voicing the Indian Simpsons character, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. They talk about what went down in the aftermath, and how the fallout defined their careers — and their lives — in very different ways.