Celebrity voices for hire: How AI is bringing the dead back to work

January 16, 2026

By Kim Komando

Judy Garland read me a news article the other day. Not a recording from her movie archives. A brand-new story about AI regulation she never could have seen in her lifetime. She died in 1969. Her voice was so warm and expressive I almost forgot I was listening to an AI.

Welcome to the world where the dead don’t rest, they narrate.

As someone who’s made a career with my voice (which some people call “soft and sultry” while others email asking why a dude by the name of Kim is hosting the show), this one hits close to home.

👻 The ghost marketplace

ElevenLabs has something called the Iconic Voices Marketplace. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a catalog of AI-cloned celebrity voices you can license for commercial projects. Along with Garland, we’re talking Burt Reynolds, James Dean, John Wayne, Maya Angelou and even historical figures like Thomas Edison and Mark Twain.

These aren’t unauthorized deepfakes. The company works directly with estates and rights holders. Liza Minnelli signed off on her mom’s voice. Michael Caine, still very much alive at 92, agreed to let them clone his voice for future use. Fiverr freelancers offer celebrity-style AI voice work starting around $115 for 60-second spots.

🎧 What you can actually do with them

For everyday folks: Download the ElevenReader app (free tier gives you 10 hours/month), and you can have Burt Reynolds read you any PDF or article. James Dean reads your ebook. Sir Laurence Olivier narrates Sherlock Holmes. The premium tier runs about $11/month for unlimited listening.

For brands and creators: This is where it gets interesting. Want John Wayne to voice your Western-themed ad campaign? Maya Angelou to narrate your documentary? You submit a licensing request, negotiate with the estate, and ElevenLabs synthesizes the voice to say whatever you need. Expect to pay thousands for commercial use, but it’s fully legal.

🤔 Cool or creepy?

Here’s the debate you’ll have over dinner. Is this a beautiful way to preserve legendary voices for new generations? Or are we puppeteering the dead for profit?

I’d be fine with my estate making money off my voice after I’m gone, as long as AI Kim isn’t hawking crypto scams or reading scripts I’d never touch in real life. That’s the key. The estates have veto power over how these voices get used.

I’ll let you decide. Just maybe don’t have James Dean read your eulogy. Yet.

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