Several high-profile actors are expressing surprise and displeasure after discovering their voices—recorded for an audiobook project over a decade ago—are now being featured in a 52-episode Fox News Audio podcast series launching this holiday season.
An Unexpected Revival
The controversy centers on “The Life of Jesus Podcast,” announced by Fox News this week as the latest addition to Fox Faith, the network’s religion vertical. The podcast adapts “The Truth and Life Dramatized Audio Bible: New Testament,” originally released in 2010 by Ignatius Press as a 21-hour audiobook featuring more than 100 actors voicing biblical characters.
While Fox News claims the project has “full cooperation and participation by all the actors involved,” representatives for several cast members tell a different story.
Actors Caught Off Guard
Kristen Bell, who voiced Mary Magdalene in the original audiobook, had no knowledge of the Fox News deal according to her representatives, who spoke with Rolling Stone. The “Frozen” star and outspoken progressive activist likely never imagined her work on a religious audiobook would be distributed through the conservative news network more than 15 years later.
Brian Cox—the Emmy-winning “Succession” star who provided “the voice of God” in the original production—was similarly unaware of the podcast’s existence. “Brian recorded audio for a project over a decade ago,” his spokesman said. “He was unaware that the audio would be repurposed for a new podcast series in 2025.”
Malcolm McDowell, who voiced the high priest Caiaphas, was also surprised by the Fox News pickup, according to his manager Chris Roe.
‘We Would Not Have Approved’
Roe’s statement to Variety was particularly pointed: “This project was recorded and released 15 years ago as an audiobook. We were unaware that it was being turned into a podcast until this week. We found out about it when everyone else did. We were never consulted, nothing was renegotiated, and we would not have approved.”
The phrase “would not have approved” suggests that at least some of the actors involved would have declined participation had they known Fox News would be distributing and promoting the project—particularly in its current format with Fox News personality Ainsley Earhardt introducing each episode.
Fox News’ Position: It’s All Legal
A Fox News Media spokesperson pushed back against any suggestion of impropriety, stating: “Gulfstream Studios produced the ‘Life of Jesus Podcast’ from The Truth and Life Dramatized Audio Bible, which was licensed by FOX News Audio, with full cooperation and participation by all the actors involved.”
The statement suggests that the original contracts the actors signed for the 2010 audiobook included licensing provisions broad enough to permit this type of redistribution—even if the actors themselves weren’t aware of those terms or didn’t anticipate how the audio might be repurposed 15 years later.
In other words: legally, Fox News appears to be on solid ground. Ethically and in terms of professional courtesy? That’s where opinions diverge.
The Project Details
“The Life of Jesus Podcast” premieres Sunday, November 30, and will be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Fox News’ podcast website, and other major platforms. “Fox & Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt will introduce each 30-minute episode, “guiding listeners through the life, teachings and miracles of Jesus Christ.”
The impressive voice cast includes more than 100 actors, among them:
- John Rhys-Davies (narrator)
- Julia Ormond (Mary, Mother of God)
- Blair Underwood (Mark)
- Stacy Keach (John)
- Hill Harper (Angel of the Lord)
- Michael York (Luke)
The release schedule is timed to major Christian observances:
- November 30: First 13 episodes debut for Advent
- December 21: 13 additional episodes for Christmas week
- February 15, 2026: Third set of 13 episodes for Lent
- March 29, 2026: Final 13 episodes on Palm Sunday
The Broader Issues
This situation raises several important questions about actors’ rights, contract language, and the ethical obligations of distributors when repurposing older content.
First, there’s the issue of notification. While Fox News may have the legal right to license and distribute this content, did they have an obligation to inform the original cast? Many actors are protective of their public associations, particularly with politically charged brands like Fox News.
Second, there’s the question of compensation. Were the actors paid residuals for this new distribution deal? Did their original contracts include provisions for podcast distribution—a medium that barely existed in 2010?
Third, there’s the reputational concern. Kristen Bell, for instance, has been vocally progressive on social and political issues. Brian Cox has similarly expressed liberal political views. Being associated with Fox News—even tangentially through a religious audiobook recorded over a decade ago—may not align with their personal brands or values.
The Streaming Era’s Gray Areas
This controversy highlights a broader challenge facing entertainment professionals in the digital age: content created for one medium can now be easily repurposed for others, often without meaningful input from the original talent.
Audiobooks can become podcasts. Podcasts can become video content. Old recordings can find new distribution channels. And contracts written before certain technologies existed may grant rights that creators never intended to sign away.
For actors who recorded this audiobook in 2010, “podcast distribution” may have seemed like a minor clause in a contract—if it was included at all. Few could have predicted that their voices would later be used to promote a Fox News product featuring one of the network’s on-air personalities as host.
What This Means Going Forward
This situation will likely prompt actors and their representatives to scrutinize licensing agreements more carefully, particularly regarding how recorded performances can be redistributed in the future. Contracts may need to include specific approval rights for certain types of distribution or association with particular networks or brands.
For Fox News, the controversy represents relatively minor negative publicity around what they likely see as a straightforward licensing deal for faith-based content. The network has been expanding its Fox Faith vertical and views religious programming as aligned with its core audience’s values.
For the actors involved, it’s a reminder that work done years ago can resurface in unexpected ways—and that the fine print in contracts matters more than ever in our interconnected media landscape.
“The Life of Jesus Podcast” will launch as planned on November 30, featuring the voices of actors who may not have anticipated this particular resurrection of their decade-old work.
