Get ready to say goodbye to Samuel L. Jackson and Melissa McCarthy’s voices on Amazon’s Alexa! The e-commerce giant has stopped selling celebrity “personalities” for the virtual assistant. If you were lucky enough to snag one of these voices before they were discontinued, don’t worry – you can still use them until September 30, 2023. But if you missed out, you’re out of luck.
The celebrity voices, which also included Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal, were a fun addition to the voice-activated Echo devices. Users could activate the device by saying “Hey Melissa” or “Hey Samuel” instead of the usual “Hey Alexa.” But after three years, Amazon has decided to wind down this feature.
While Amazon hasn’t revealed why they’re discontinuing the celebrity voices, they have stated that customers can contact their customer service team for a refund. It’s a bummer for those who enjoyed having a famous voice as their virtual assistant, but Alexa will still be just as helpful without them. Check out the commercial below featuring Samuel L. Jackson in the recording studio interacting with Alexa.
