Morgan Freeman fans criticize Jimmy Kimmel for asking the actor an “insulting” question about his distinctive voice in a resurfaced clip

Morgan Freeman probably has one of the most famous voices in Hollywood. The Oscar winner played the “voice of God” alongside Jim Carrey in the 2003 comedy “Bruce Almighty.”

But neither Freeman nor his fans could have predicted that his iconic voice would prompt an idiotic question from a late-night talk show host. But that’s exactly what happened in a resurfaced clip that circulated on social media, leaving some fans incredulous and others angry at the disrespect.

“Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?” Jimmy Kimmel asked a confused-looking Freeman during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in March 2016. “Is that something you worked on or just something your family taught you?”

“I don’t even know what you mean,” Freeman replied. Kimmel then referenced Freeman’s work on the 1970s children’s television series “The Electric Company” before the talk show host finally gave up and tried to explain what he meant by the original question.

“I went to school to be an actor,” Freeman said, looking slightly excited. “And at this school, Los Angeles City College, I had a voice and pronunciation teacher who did a very good job. So you had to learn to speak and pronounce the final consonants.”

Kimmel, a graduate of the University of Nevada and Arizona State, responded, “So you actually learned something in college? I learned how to drink beer from a funnel.”

As the clip re-circulated on social media, fans agreed that Freeman’s “voice is recognizable to everyone in the world,” but many were outraged by Kimmel’s questions.

“As a white person, would you ask this (question)?” wrote one person in the comments section on Instagram.

“Everyone in the world recognizes this voice,” noted another commenter.

Two social media users directly addressed Kimmel, asking, “Does anyone else find the host condescending and offensive?” and “Did Jimmy Kimmel just compliment a black man on his eloquence?”

A third joked: “Jimmy didn’t put on blackface for the interview.” A fourth said: “White people and their stupid questions, why the hell did I even come here?”

However, some were understanding of Kimmel’s question to Freeman, writing, “He has a compelling voice that captures the attention of the audience. Let’s put it this way. The way he pronounces his words and makes them clear and the way they captivate you is what makes them so special.”

Later in his performance, the Driving Miss Daisy star put his well-known storytelling talent to the test by hilariously commenting on passersby walking down Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.

In 2016, Freeman’s world-famous voice was added to the popular Google navigation app Waze as part of the promotion for the action film “London Has Fallen,” in which he starred.

Freeman has been asked about his voice in the past. During a 2007 appearance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” the “March of the Penguins” thanked a vocal coach who helped him develop his smooth voice.

“No, no, no, no,” Freeman replied when asked if his voice was simply innate. “It’s not a natural gift at all. I don’t think any voice is a natural gift. Someone helps you get it.”

He added that his natural voice was too “high” because of his “very strong Southern accent.” “I grew up in Mississippi.”

In early July 2024, Freeman’s popular voice also caused controversy. A content creator named Justine shared videos online claiming to be one of Freeman’s relatives, specifically his “Nepo niece,” and using his voice.

The woman used an artificial intelligence-generated version of his iconic voice in a now-deleted video she posted on her Justine’s Camera Roll page. At one point, the voiceover says, “Narrating me, Morgan Freeman.”

The 87-year-old actor caught wind of the video and thanked his fans who raised the alarm after the woman falsely used his voice to convince her fans on social media that they were related.

“Thank you to my incredible fans for their vigilance and support in reporting the unauthorized use of an AI voice impersonating me. Your efforts help ensure that authenticity and integrity remain a top priority. I am grateful,” Freeman wrote in a social media post on June 28, along with the hashtags #AI #fraud #impersonation #identityprotection.

The social media user later clarified that the video was a joke.

“When I posted this video on TikTok, it had maybe 30,000 views. Someone took it and posted it on Twitter and it had 16 million views!…” Jasmine explained in a video posted a few days later on June 30. “I was having a little fun. I just thought it was funny, okay!”