Morgan Freeman calls AI voice replication 'stealing' and tells celebrities targeted by deepfakes to get lawyers

From the Newshound archive · first published 24 September 2026.

Morgan Freeman, 89, has told ITV News that using AI to clone a famous voice is "stealing" and urged those targeted to seek legal help. His own lawyers have already been "very, very busy" tracking down cases where his voice has been replicated without consent. The Shawshank Redemption star said he had previously warned he was "a little PO'd" about AI mimicry and insisted he gets paid for lending his voice.

Freeman has previously stated: 'I don't appreciate it — if you're gonna do it without me, you're robbing me.'

He acknowledged finding the origin of deepfakes is difficult, saying it is hard to know 'where it originated.'

Freeman's lawyers have already found 'quite a few' cases of his voice being replicated without permission.