Since 2019, Amazon Echo users have been able to call up Hollywood icon Samuel L. Jackson instead of Alexa and ask questions about anything from the weather to Snakes on a Plane. However, Echo users now can add a handful of celebrity voices to their devices, including the likes of Melissa McCarthy and Shaquille O'Neal. If you want to shake up how you interact with your Echo device, here's what you need to do to enable celebrity voices.
Enable celebrity voices on your Amazon Echo
Amazon Echo users can currently pick from three celebrity personalities: Samuel L. Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Melissa McCarthy. Each celebrity voice is accessible via a one-time fee of $4.99. These are the steps you need to take to enable celebrity voices on your Amazon Echo device.
- Say, "Alexa, introduce me to CELEBRITY NAME."
- Choose the "Hey, CELEBRITY'S FIRST NAME" wake word.
When activating the celebrity voice skill on your Echo devices for the first time, you may be asked to say, "Alexa, enable CELEBRITY NAME." For some skills, you will also be asked to choose between the explicit and clean versions, which censors profanity. Then, all you need to do is say "Explicit" or "Clean version" with your command, or turn explicit content on or off in the Alexa app.
The "Hey, CELEBRITY NAME" wake word works for most voice-activated Echo devices in your home, excluding first-generation Echo and Echo Dot devices and wearables. Fire TV and Fire Tablets are also not supported at this time. Once you turn on the wake word, the celebrity voice will respond when you say their whole first name.
Users without a compatible device can also use "Alexa, ask CELEBRITY'S FIRST NAME." Additionally, you can search for celebrity voices by signing into your Amazon account in a web browser and navigating to the Alexa Skills tab or searching for the skill within the Alexa app on your phone.
Examples of questions you can ask
Once you've followed the steps to enable celebrity voices on your Amazon Echo, each of the celebrity personalities can respond to a variety of general topics, including questions about the weather, setting alarms, giving advice, and singing happy birthday. Samuel, Melissa, and Shaq can also answer a selection of questions about themselves and their careers. With that in mind, here are some examples of frequently asked questions:
- "Hey Samuel, quote Pulp Fiction."
- "Hey Samuel, what do you think of snakes?"
- "Hey Samuel, how many times was the F-word said in Pulp Fiction?"
- "Hey Samuel, who is your favorite Star Wars character?"
- "Hey Melissa, tell me about Bridesmaids."
- "Hey Shaq, drop a beat."
- "Hey Shaq, let's warm-up."
- "Hey Shaq, play rock, paper, scissors."
Unfortunately, Samuel, Melissa, and Shaq don't have full Alexa functionality. As such, they aren't able to help with shopping, lists, reminders, or skills at this time.
