'Simpsons' actor Hank Azaria doesn't know if AI will replace him
- - 'Simpsons' actor Hank Azaria doesn't know if AI will replace him
Ralphie Aversa, USA TODAYJanuary 27, 2026 at 10:18 PM
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NEW YORK — Hank Azaria says he's contracted to voice characters on "The Simpsons" for three more years, and that there's another movie in the works. The actor and impressionist, who has been with the show since 1989, has no idea what happens after that.
"I'm not announcing the end of it," Azaria, 61, tells USA TODAY of the Fox animated series. "We might go beyond that. That will make Season 40."
"The Simpsons" is the longest-running American sitcom and animated series in TV history, winning 37 Primetime Emmys and two Peabody Awards. In April, it was renewed for an additional four seasons.
"Every year, I think a new crop of tweens discover the show and that keeps us relevant," Azaria says.
Hank Azaria still enjoys his gig as the voice of various characters on "The Simpsons," which he's had since 1989. But with the emergence of AI, he worries about the future.
But there's also the possibility that Azaria doesn't last for another contract as the voice of Moe, Chief Wiggum and more, though it wouldn't be due to his own lack of interest.
Azaria has voiced over 30 characters since the show's inception, and he says he still loves his voice-acting roles on the animated series.
Like any institution, "The Simpsons" evolved over the years. In 2018, Azaria stopped voicing Apu after complaints the character promoted negative stereotypes about Indians. Another caricature, Duffman, was retired by the series in 2025.
From left: "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening and Hank Azaria attend a panel during New York Comic Con in 2024. Azaria tells USA TODAY he has three years left on his contract with the animated series.
Azaria records from home and has time for other gigs as well, including his Bruce Springsteen cover band. But while discussing his remote studio, the actor deadpans that "soon AI will replace me anyway."
"I think you and I are safe in this moment," he says of the respective voice actor and journalist jobs. "Within five years, we might not be for a variety of reasons, because of AI."
In February 2025, Azaria voiced his fears in an op-ed with the New York Times.
"I imagine that soon enough, artificial intelligence will be able to recreate the sounds of the more than 100 voices I created for characters on 'The Simpsons' over almost four decades," Azaria wrote in the piece. "It makes me sad to think about it."
Azaria says most of the response he received to the piece was positive, as people were "grateful that I was sort of a voice of humanity in the middle of all of this," no pun intended.
"It was almost a little bit of a John Henry thing, like he took on the steam engine and for now he's winning," Azaria continues, referencing the story of Henry, an American folk hero. "I find (AI) fascinating. There's a lot of wonderful things about it too, things that we couldn't have dreamed of. I'm a big fan of entertainment.
"It is like the steam engine. Good luck keeping it out. The Industrial Revolution was a thing that was real, and so is this."
Hank Azaria, Matt Friend and the next generation of voice actors
Azaria got his start in showbiz through good ol' fashioned networking and a talent agent. In 2026, actors and comedians still use agents, but they're leaning on social networks more than the traditional methods from generations prior.
Matt Friend is in that latter category. The comedian and impressionist has gained 2 million followers on Instagram, first hitting people's radars with his uncanny impression of President Donald Trump, facial expressions and hand gestures included. Friend added to his repertoire with impersonations of Howard Stern, Stanley Tucci and Michael Bublé.
Friend first did an impression for Azaria when he was only 15; Azaria and Friend's father, Bill, were college roommates at Tufts and are still close.
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"I felt like Salieri with Mozart," Azaria recalls with a reference to the 19th century teacher and composer. "I had never heard anybody at any age be more brilliant vocally than this kid. And he asked me advice and I gave him a lot of advice and he really did take it. And I think Matthew is so talented, he would've made it no matter what. But I think I probably saved him a lot of time in telling him what to do and what not to do."
"He's always been the best," Friend tells USA TODAY of Azaria. It's not uncommon to see Friend running his impression by the celebrity he's imitating. The comedian says some of the first impressions he ran by Azaria were of both "Simpsons and "Family Guy" characters. "It was just so cool. I'm lucky to know him my whole life."
"You need to have plastic vocal chords," Azaria says of the key to a good impression. "You know how some people like cilantro and (for) some people, it tastes like soap? It's kind of like that. You can either do it or you can't. And with Matthew, some he got right away and some he's developed over the years. Same for me."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Simpsons' actor Hank Azaria on AI and the comedian he calls 'Mozart'
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
