Hank Azaria Admits He Does 'Wonder' About 'The Simpsons' ' Future — and Says Whether He'd Ever Leave (Exclusive)

Azaria has voiced multiple characters on The Simpsons, including Moe Szyslak and Chief Wiggum, since its 1989 debut

Actor Hank Azaria arrives for Prime Video's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Season 5 Premiere at The Standard Highline in New York City on April 11, 2023. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Photo: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty

When it comes to The Simpsons, Hank Azaria is in it for the long haul.

Azaria, 58, has been a part of the animated series since its debut in 1989. He most notably voices Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy and Snake Jailbird (he also formerly voiced Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Lou, Carl Carlson and Bumblebee Man).

At the season 5 premiere of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in New York City on Thursday, Azaria — who plays Danny Stevens on the Amazon Prime Video series — exclusively told PEOPLE he has no plans to exit The Simpsons any time soon.

"Well, I'd be silly to leave because they pay me, first of all," he said.

But given the show's longevity, especially as it was recently renewed for season 35 and 36, the Emmy winner does question when the Fox series will eventually bow out.

"I wonder about that, too," he admitted. "You know, we're doing season 35 and 36. I would guess that it would probably go to 40. It seems to be doing well."

Azaria also noted that "standards of what doing well means has changed so much for network television in the last 10 to 15 years."

He continued, "But whatever the standards are now, we seem to be doing well. People still enjoy making it. They seem to want the show. So I imagine we keep going. The voices don't really age. So we can keep doing it. And the animation doesn't age. The animation does get better — and quicker."

hank azaria simpsons moe
FOX

The Simpsons is one of the many projects that has made Azaria a household name over the years. But when thinking about the future of his career, he's excited about some other upcoming projects that have been added to his résumé.

"I have a show right now with Apple called Hello Tomorrow. It's a very interesting show," he shared. "We have a show coming out for HBO in June called The Idol. It's Sam Levinson, the guy who did Euphoria. [It's] with The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp. That show might be really cool."

Azaria also "really enjoyed" working on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, which premiered the first episode of its fifth and final season on Friday. Even though he is a newcomer joining rather late in the game, he was able to fit right in.

"I just kind of sink in there in the last minute here. And I'm really thrilled to be here. It's a really great show," he said of being at the show's final premiere event. "It's fun when everyone's doing all the heavy lifting you get to jump in."

He continued, "There's a real rhythm and pace and meticulousness to the show. I actually had a challenge finding this character. I had to play around with him a little more than I usually do [with characters], but it was fun."

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New episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel arrive Fridays on Amazon Prime Video through its May 26 series finale, and The Simpsons airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

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