Hank Azaria, the voice actor behind many beloved characters on The Simpsons, recently showcased his talent with a cover of the iconic Wicked song “Defying Gravity.”
He shared a video of his performance on social media, featuring voices such as Chief Wiggum and Professor Frink, just ahead of the Oscars on Sunday, March 2.
Azaria humorously captioned the clip: “If this evening’s #Oscars opening took place in Springfield… only Professor Frink was harmed in the making of this video.”
Having worked on The Simpsons since 1989, Azaria has voiced numerous characters, including Moe Szyslak, Superintendent Chalmers, Comic Book Guy, and Snake.
During the Oscars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo kicked off the 2025 ceremony with a medley of “Defying Gravity,” “Home,” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Both Grande and Erivo earned nominations for their roles in Wicked, with Grande in the Supporting Actress category and Erivo up for Best Actress.
In the Supporting Actress category, Grande’s competitors included Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave), and Zoe Saldaña, who ultimately won the award for her role in Emilia Pérez.
Erivo’s co-star, meanwhile, faced off against Karla Sofia Gascon (Emilia Pérez), Demi Moore (The Substance), and Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here), with Mikey Madison winning for Anora.
In the end, Wicked took home two Oscars, for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.
In other news, Azaria has recently expressed his concerns about the potential for AI to replace voice actors. He shared his thoughts in an op-ed for The New York Times, writing: “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. It makes me sad to think about it. Not to mention, it seems just plain wrong to steal my likeness or sound – or anyone else’s.”
Azaria went on to explain the depth of his character work, using Moe as an example: “AI could have access to 36 years of Moe, the permanently disgruntled bartender. He’s appeared in just about every episode of The Simpsons. He’s been terrified, in love, hit in the head and, most often, in a state of bitter hatred. I’ve laughed as Moe in dozens of ways by now. I’ve probably sighed as Moe 100 times. In terms of training AI, that’s a lot to work with.”
Azaria has also shared his thoughts on the future of The Simpsons, commenting recently on when he thinks the show might come to an end.
“You know, we’re doing seasons 35 and 36. I would guess that it would probably go to 40. It seems to be doing well,” he said.
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