​'The Simpsons' showrunner refutes reports of Apu's exit

"The Simpsons" showrunner Al Jean rubbished reports of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon being written off from the show amid the much-heated debate over the character's stereotypical portrayal.

Last week, "Castlevania" animator Adi Shankar told that the show is planning to "drop the Apu character altogether".

Shankar, who is not attached to "The Simpsons, clarified that he received the news from two people who work for the show and a third source who works directly with Matt Groening.

Jean discredited the news saying Shankar was "not a producer" on the show.

"I wish him the very best but he does not speak for our show," he wrote on Twitter.

The writer also went on to deny another report which claimed that the character "is being deported from Springfield".

In his reply, Jean tweeted, "@NRO the story is untrue."

One of the longest running animated sitcoms on American TV, the show has been criticised for its stereotypical portrayal of the South Asian community which came to light after Hari Kondabolu called out the makers through his documentary, "The Problem with Apu".

Following the controversy, "The Simpsons" addressed the criticism in the episode "No Good Read Goes Unpunished" but failed to pacify the viewers. The makers were further slammed on social media for its tone-deaf response.

Earlier, Hank Azaria, the voice behind Apu, offered to step away from the role after the controversy surged.

Creator Groening also said the debate around Apu's depiction had turned into noise and "no nuance" was left in the conversation.