Hank Azaria is one of the most prolific voice actors in the world — and his vocal cords have the price tag to show it.
The “Simpsons” star — who has voiced numerous characters on the show, including Moe, police chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy and the controversial Apu — appeared on Conan O’Brien’s virtual TBS show Tuesday, saying that he got his vocal cords insured after straining them one too many times.
“My voice blows out rather easily, so I have to watch it,” he said during his appearance. “I was having a rough time in my life, and I got into a screaming match with someone. I totally blew out my voice, and it didn’t come back for almost two weeks. I scared myself so bad that I got my vocal cords insured.
“The revenue I am lucky enough to bring in through ‘The Simpsons,’ ” he continued. “That was a long time ago. A lot of money would have gone bye-bye if I couldn’t make voices.”
Azaria, 56, who’s been on “The Simpsons” since 1989, also used to do the voice for Apu, but decided to step back after it generated controversy — most notably covered in the documentary “The Problem with Apu.”
Azaria told O’Brien — who joined the ranks of Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and other talk show hosts broadcasting remotely during the coronavirus lockdown — that his favorite voice to do is the surly bartender Moe. He also most recently starred in the live-action IFC show “Brockmire,” which aired its series finale Wednesday.