There's nothing like saying a command to Amazon's Alexa and hearing Samuel L Jackson reply in acknowledgement, right? Well, technically, there is actually nothign like that anymore because Amazon pulled Mr Jackson's voice from its Celebrity Personalities for Alexa program at the end of April this year. If you've got Melissa McCarthy or Shaquille O'Neil doing the voices on your Alexa, they too will be pulled from the program later this year.
Updated: Amazon has reached out with the following statement:
“After three years, we’re winding down celebrity voices. Customers will be able to continue using these voices for a limited time, and can contact our customer service team for a refund.” – Amazon Spokesperson
if you purchased one of the celebrity voices for your Alexa device, you'll need to get in touch with Amazon's customer service to get a refund.
Amazon has the following advice if you want Alexa to reply in a different voice:
Customers can still choose from a variety of voice options, including American, Australian, British, Canadian, and Indian voices. Change Alexa's voice by saying, “Alexa, change your voice,” or in the Alexa app by going to Device Settings and selecting Alexa's voice.
When browsing the Celebrity Personalities for Alexa page you'll find that it's no longer possible to make a purchase. Mr Jackson's skill is already discontinued, while McCarthy and O'Neil's voice overs will cease to be supported on September 30, 2023.
While it's likely that Amazon is shutting the service down due to costs, it's strange that only three voices were available in total considering that it was a paid option. It seems like a wasted opportunity on Amazon's part, especially there are so many excellent voices to choose from whether it was Daffy Duck, Gollum, or Arnold Scharzenegger.
Let us know your thoughts on Amazon shuttering the Celebrity Personalities for Alexa program in the comments below.
