Nine years after Apu Nahasapeemapetilon went silent, "The Simpsons" let him talk again — and almost nobody saw it coming. In tonight's Halloween special, "Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening" (Season 38, Episode 3), the Springfield convenience-store owner spoke on-screen for the first time since the Season 29 premiere "The Serfsons" back in 2017, according to Variety, which broke the news.

The twist: it isn't Hank Azaria's voice coming out of him. The role has quietly gone to voice actor Sunil Malhotra, known for "The Legend of Korra," "The Legend of Vox Machina," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi," per ScreenRant's report on the recast. Apu's wife, Manjula, was also quietly recast, now voiced by Janina Gavankar.

Azaria voiced Apu for roughly three decades before stepping back in 2020, after comedian Hari Kondabolu's 2017 documentary "The Problem with Apu" reignited criticism that a white actor was voicing a South Asian character with an exaggerated accent. Azaria said at the time he would no longer do the voice "unless there's some way to transition it," effectively retiring the character rather than recasting him on the spot. Apu has popped up in crowd shots and background gags since then, but had not spoken a line until tonight.

Kept under wraps

Per Variety, the production went to unusual lengths to keep the casting secret: no advance screeners were circulated, and cast and crew involved in the table read and episode were reportedly put under NDAs. ComicBook.com's writeup notes Malhotra had initially turned down a similar offer years earlier and was reluctant to take the role at all, before being won over by executive producer Matt Selman and co-executive producer Cesar Mazariegos.

"We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, Simpsons-y way that allowed him to evolve," — Matt Selman, executive producer.

The episode itself leans into the meta-joke of Apu's absence: Homer and the rest of Springfield accidentally run someone over and cover it up, only for the victim to return a year later seeking revenge — revealed to be Apu, who'd effectively been erased from the town's memory (the Kwik-E-Mart included) in the years since he stopped appearing. It's eventually played as a dream sequence, with Apu restored to Springfield by the episode's end.

For a show entering its 38th season, bringing Apu back from a near-decade of silence — without undoing the original 2020 decision to move Azaria off the role — threads a needle that's dogged the franchise for years. Selman has indicated more Apu appearances are planned, suggesting tonight's cameo wasn't a one-off stunt.