The 2017 documentary The Problem With Apu stirred up some long-running sentiments about the Indian-American Simpsons character, and a lot of people (us included) were pretty unhappy about how the show handled the criticism—including the character’s voice actor, Hank Azaria. The actor made an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night, and he explained that he had nothing to do with the scene, since it didn’t feature Apu in person, and very much disagrees with the way it was handled.

There were many odd choices made in the show’s response—from the it’s the children who are wrong tone to having Lisa Simpson, of all characters, write the complaints off as political correctness—but the one Azaria focused on when talking to Colbert (starting around 2:15 in the video above) was how the phrase “don’t have a cow” factored in, seemingly telling people to grow a thicker skin and just get over it. That’s very much not how Azaria feels about it, nor does he agree with the scene’s hint that the criticism may never be substantively addressed at all.

As far as what Azaria thinks should be done about it, he’d be more than willing to step aside and/or “help transition it into something new,” and he hopes the show will allow him to do that. He also pointed out that, beyond concerns about voice acting, the way to best ensure positive representation in the future, whether for The Simpsons or any other show, is to make sure diverse voices are included in the writers’ room, as well as on the screen.

(image: Fox)

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I used to go hard for TheWalking Dead. I joined the party in early Season 2 after binge watching all of Season 1 on a rainy weekend.  I was obsessed. Not only did I buy Season 1 almost immediately, I demanded everyone I know and love watch it too.  It was that good.  Sure. It […]

Meek is a free man. TMZ reports that the rapper and his team received word from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that Judge Genece Brinkley's decision to deny the rapper bail had been overruled. Brinkley denied Mill bail last week, setting a hearing for 60 days later.  According to the PA Supreme Court's official order, the justices cited the alleged corrupt cop in the rapper's case as a reason for his release. Prosecutors were also not opposed to Mill's release. [brightcove id=5026803787001] The news comes after months of support from celebrities and officials, who believed that Mill should be released. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf publicly endorsed Mill's release in March, tweeting, "I support D.A. Larry Krasner’s position in the case of Robert Williams (Meek Mill). Our criminal justice system is in need of repair. That’s why my admin has made efforts to invest in programs that divert individuals from the system, improve public safety, and promote fairness." JAY-Z also penned an op-ed for The New York Times, highlighting the bias in America's criminal justice system and calling probation a "trap." "We must fight for Meek and everyone else unjustly sent to prison," the hip-hop mogul wrote.  Mill tweeted Tuesday that he was thankful for the help he received along the way and will be teaming up with his legal team to help others who have been unjustly imprisoned.      "I’d like to thank God, my family, and all my public advocates for their love, support, and encouragement during this difficult time. While the past five months have been a nightmare, the prayers, visits, calls, letters and rallies have helped me stay positive," Mill wrote.  He continued, "In the meantime, I plan to work closely with my legal team to overturn this unwarranted conviction and look forward to reuniting with my family and resuming my music career."

Even with all of the hype around Avengers: Infinity War, the new Venom trailer did not go unnoticed when it had a late night debut earlier this week. And while the first Venom teaser didn’t show us the alien sym-BI-ote, the new footage didn’t hold back on its comic book origins and gave us an extended look at Tom Hardy as both Eddie Brock and his alter ego. This may be the most accurate rendition of Venom we’ve seen to date, but the internet’s still not happy with this Marvel adjacent film. Today’s Nerdist News is breaking out the sonic canons to explain why fans just aren’t satisfied.

Join guest host Amy “Does Whatever a Spider Can” Vorpahl as she goes over some of the reasons why the new Venom trailer is getting a frosty reception. Some of the excuses are a bit silly, like getting angry over the pronunciation of symbiote. There are some justifiable complaints about the trailer’s dialogue, but the biggest issue that fans seem to have with Venom is that Spider-Man isn’t in it.

Sony isn’t hiding its attempt to launch a shared universe of Marvel’s Spider-Man characters without Spidey himself. But the problem with that is Venom is intrinsically linked to Peter Parker. Spider-Man was the first person to bond with the symbiote, barring some retcons with Deadpool. When Spidey rejected the symbiote, it found Eddie Brock, a disgraced journalist with a grudge against Spider-Man. Together, the symbiote and Brock became one of Spider-Man’s greatest villains. And when Venom proved to be popular, Marvel remade him as an anti-hero.

As portrayed in the trailer, Eddie Brock isn’t the dark reflection of Peter Parker. He’s more like a crusading journalist who doesn’t appear to have the flaws of his comic book counterpart. By removing Spider-Man from the equation, Sony has had to completely rework Venom’s origin story. When the changes are this extreme, is it really the same character from the comic? Or is this Venom just someone who shares the same name and powers? We’ll find out when Venom hits theaters on Friday, October 5.

What do you think about the new Venom trailer? Let’s discuss in the comment section below!

Images: Sony Pictures/Marvel

More of the latest Nerdist News!

• What does Marvel skipping SDCC’s Hall H mean?
• We know Peter Dinklage’s role in Infinity War!
• Why Deadpool 2‘s Peter is the movie’s linchpin!