Kristen Bell is among several actors who say their voices are being used in a new religious podcast without their knowledge or approval.
On Wednesday, Nov. 19, Fox News Media announced in a press release that it will release The Life of Jesus Podcast on Nov. 30 after signing a licensing deal with Gulfstream Studios. The 52-episode series aims to bring New Testament stories to life through “immersive storytelling,” according to the release, with FOX & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt introducing each episode.
The podcast is described as featuring “over 100 notable actors voicing characters of the Bible.” Bell, Sean Astin, Brian Cox and Malcolm McDowell are among the names listed as participants.
But representatives for several of those actors say they were unaware the podcast was being released.
A representative for Bell, 45, told Rolling Stone that she never gave permission for her audio to be repurposed, explaining that she recorded the material for a different project about 15 years ago. The rep said Bell only learned about the podcast after being asked to promote it on FOX & Friends.
A representative for Cox gave a similar account, telling Deadline that the actor had no knowledge of the podcast and that his recordings were originally made for a 2010 project, The Truth & Life Dramatized Audio Bible: New Testament. Bell’s representative echoed that statement when asked for further comment.
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Likewise, a representative for McDowell, 82, told Entertainment Weekly that the actor “had no knowledge these recordings were being redistributed as a podcast until this week.” The rep said his audio also came from a separate project recorded roughly 15 years ago and had long since been forgotten.
Fox News Media said in a statement that Gulfstream Studios produced The Life of Jesus Podcast using audio from The Truth & Life Dramatized Audio Bible, which Fox News Audio licensed. The company added that the original project involved the full cooperation and participation of the actors.
Rolling Stone also reported obtaining a note from a podcast producer indicating that at least one actor was asked not to mention that the recordings were produced years ago, with the goal of making the series feel newly made.
